The 11th Hunger Games
by Silverstardust99
Summary: In order to understand the future, you must look into the past. The tale of the eleventh Hunger Games and the events thereafter.
1. Chapter 1: The Reaping

Disclaimer: I don't own the Hunger Games. For if I did, it wouldn't be nearly as great. Also, I would be sending this to Scholastic.

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_Pressure. Rather it be from the weight of the atmosphere, or an approaching deadline, it will cause humans to do both incredible and inhuman things. It will send adrenalin rushing through your body making you move and think faster, a final defense against dying. I have always found this rush fascinating. Those able to harness this subconscious power have a huge advantage in life. I myself have yet to learn to do that when I don't have anything to be motivated by. I think death is a powerful motive though._

_I sit away from the cold eyes of my stylist. My head is throbbing in my skull as if it were my heart. Thump-thump-thump, the sound I have learned to associate with fear. I was just crouching on the platform that will lift me to my death. I am through with all of this. I just want it to be over. But what do they care for my desire? Was it really only a little more than a week ago that I left my home in District 9? It felt like more than an eternity._

When I woke up I felt a crush of despair settle upon me, like the pressure of the atmosphere had been doubled. And I was the only one to hold its weight. Today was my very first reaping. After eleven years of watching others aged 12-18 hold their breath hoping not to be called. Eleven years of watching two unlucky children being hauled off to meet their painful and untimely end. Now it is my turn to take part in this horror. The only thing I can do is hope.

My chances are said to be slim. Only one slip says Glynn Sail, one slip among thousands. My father has a decent job, and there are only two in my family, which have saved me from taking a tesserae. The tesserae make the chance of your name being picked larger, because for each one you take; your name gets added one more time. I guess in that sense I'm safer than other twelve-year-olds that are in my district.

I look over to my father's bed. I have my own room, but I have nightmares, so my father made another bed so I could move to his room if I got scared in the middle of the night. He's just waking up. I have the closest relationship to my dad. Well, actually my only relationship. "Did you have a nightmare or something, Glynn?" He says in a half subconscious voice, which lets me know that he will probably go back to bed soon.

"No. Why do you ask?" I say, inquiring something that I already knew the answer to.

"Because the sun is just rising and you don't have to go to school or work today and you're in my room." No mention of the reaping. I think he doesn't want me to worry anymore than I already am, or he possibly just forgot. He would forget an event as big as the reaping.

"Um…just a bit nervous I guess." Lie. I tend to do that a lot. Those who know me have trouble picking out truth or lies from what I say. The only reason I was lying to him about my feeling was because I had no idea what to feel. It was like an empty pit formed at the bottom of my stomach, sucking up all emotion. It was easier just to lie and say that I was nervous.

"Oh. Well, if that's it. There is nothing to worry about. You'll be fine." So unaware of me. He doesn't even try to question further. I think he tries to connect, but he doesn't understand me. He turns around and plops back into sleep as if he had never woken. You would think he was in a coma. We didn't have to be in the square until noon, so I didn't bother telling him to stay awake. That would be more trouble than it was worth. Sometimes I think that I'm the adult in this family. My dad just works, cooks, and sleeps. I clean, pick up food, manage finances, and everything in between. It's pretty sad that I'm twelve years old and I already know how to manage money. My dad doesn't even offer to take on some of my chores.

I shrug on my well worn in boots and head out into the brisk morning air, which always smells like timber. I close the door to my house, sorry, a more appropriate word would be shack. It is still better than most of the homes in district nine. Most are made of sticks. The only decent home would be that of the Mayors. Then would be the store owners, like me and my dad, with our ratty homes that will at least stand through a storm. Then there are the lumber jacks. They have the worst, their homes poorly put together; I sometimes wonder how they stand.

It's a quite morning. All I hear is the soft crunch of my boots on the gravel of the path. Everyone gets to sleep in today. Normally, men and women would be headed off to the woods to harvest the lumber of trees. District 9 is the logging district.

I walk by houses; it's odd not to see people rushing by, either heading for work, school, or other business. I'm grateful for the quite though. I need to sort out my emotions, and to do that I often have to analyze why I feel some way. The quiet gives me time to think. Think of what is to come. Think of what was.

I had a brother once. He was older than me. He was five years older than me to be exact. He was one of my best friends. We used to get in all sorts of trouble together. When I first started school, I was known to everyone, even the teachers, as Hayven's little sister. Everyone loved him, he was nice to everyone he met. He was expected to do great in life. When he was alive, my house was actually a happy one to live in. He made every one function together in harmony.

That was before he was chosen to compete in the 8th Hunger Games. He was fourteen when he died. He didn't even last the first hour of the games. He was killed at the Cornucopia. My mother couldn't take it. She was the sweetest person that I have ever met. She cried when she saw that Hayven or I was hurt. She left the house when Hayven died. We thought that she just needed to be alone. We never saw her again. The next morning the Peacekeepers said that they had found her body in the meadow. They said that they had taken care of it. They said it was pneumonia.

Since he was chosen, my father thinks that it is highly unlikely that I myself will be chosen. What is the chance that you have both your children sent off to their death? It isn't very likely at all, but luck has never been with my family. And I was pretty sure that luck had rigged the Games so that it was most miserable for my family. I'm not sure if my father can take another death. He doesn't show it, but I think that he takes it the worst. A warm breeze brushes the hair from my face. It also brushes away a stray tear.

I wonder around, thinking, until 10:30. Then I head back; to get ready. I find not only that my father has finally awoken from his mini coma, but also that he has laid out a black dress that is embroidered with silver. It's not real silver, just dyed to look like it. The silver brings out the blue in my eyes. That is why he bought me the dress. Well, not exactly bought, but traded for.

Apparently he remembered reaping day. I let my eyes close to half-slits, not willing to take in my surroundings. I tie up my long, wavy black hair into a pony tail. Just to jazz it up a bit I add some silver butterfly clips. Once again, we are unable to afford real silver so the clips were plastic with a shiny metallic coating. I think that they are beautiful none the less.

With that, we head to the square. Once we had walked the distant to be located outside the area that holds the children like a pin, my father shakes my hand, and wishes me luck. I sign my name on the clipboard that keeps track of all who show. The Capitol wouldn't want to lose count of a population. I go to gather with the cluster of frightened looking twelve-year-olds, while he heads to stand with those that are ineligible for the reaping.

I look around at the faces that surround me. I know the names that belong to each, and quite a few stories, but none are my friends. I don't have any friends. I've always been different, at least since I lost my brother and mother. I'm unable to connect and trust other people. Or maybe it is just my fear that they will leave me. My father tries to get me to hang out with other people, but I just can't. My train of thought is interrupted as the one and only Mayle bounces forward towards the podium at the center of the stage to begin the ceremony.

Mayle Ronden is District 9's escort. She also has the most outrageous blue hair I have ever seen. Probably the only blue hair I will ever see. It's most likely a wig. She was the kind of person that you would avoid if you ever saw her in the streets. Either that or you would get a group of people together and jump her, because she probably carries around several diamonds. She also is the kind of person that thinks that everyone is below her. She hates us all, and we all hate her back. She only puts a false smile on for the cameras. She sits on a temporary stage, set up for the ceremony, in the middle of the square along with Mayor Mayor. Believe it or not, the mayor's name is Mayor.

He normally would read the victor's names. One problem: we have yet to have a victor. We are one of two Districts that haven't had one yet: 8, 9. Each year previous to this has had a different Victor from different Districts. No District has had two Victors. It makes me feel like it is rigged.

So, we go straight to Mayle. "Happy 11th Hunger Games, District 9! And may luck be with you on this wondrous day!" I hate that lady's annoying capitol accent. It gives me a headache with its high pitch. "Females first!" I don't think she qualifies us as human. That is why she says 'female' and 'male' instead of 'girls' and 'boys'. She walks over to the orb holding all the girls names. Once there, she shuffles her hand around in it, picks a slip, and brings it back to the podium. She unfolds the slip and clears her throat.

I close my eyes and start to repeat what I want most. Please don't be me. Please don't be me. "Glynn Sail!" I look up, and bite my lower lip. For a second, the atmospheres pressure seems to have been taken by another. Then it all comes crashing back on me. Yeah. It would be me. I mean, I only had one slip, so obviously I would be the unlucky one chosen. I walk to the stage. I walk to my death. The other children move aside, looking at me with pitying eyes.

I don't know what to feel. Disappointment that I will once again fulfill that my district will be unable to have a victor? Anger that both my brother and I will be claimed by the game invented by the Capitol? Sorrow that I will die at such a young age? All I know it that I did not feel hope anymore. That had left me once my name was called.

Once I'm there, and facing the crowd, I feel dizzy. Not from stage fright though. From the reality of my situation. I can tell all the girls are silently rejoicing in their heads. Congratulations to them. They have all survived this year, and I have a strange urge to yell out 'just wait until next year'. Even if I could find the courage, Mayle broke the silence "Do we have any volunteers?" There are never volunteers, ever. "No? Well then, let's give a big round of applause to the female tribute, Glynn Sail!"

I hear maybe thirty or forty people applauding. The rest are silent, shaking their heads. They think it is unfair that I was picked. I couldn't agree with them more. Though, they probably think that it is unfair because this means they have to go yet another year without a Victor. I should probably just keep telling myself that it was because they didn't want to see me die. Maybe I will be able to convince myself and give myself back the hope that was stolen. Mayle looks around, and realizes what's going on. "Wow! What an enthusiastic audience! Now for our male tribute's turn to be selected!"

She shuffles around the names and picks out a slip from the bottom of the orb. She brings it to the podium and reads it aloud. "Blake Fron." Yeah. If I had any chance of survival before, now all hope is crushed. I knew the face that belonged to that name. I have been shoved aside in the hallways of school too much to not know.

A monstrous six foot seven, eighteen-year-old boy stalks up to the platform. His greasy, shaggy, black hair is covering his grey humorless eyes. I'm dead. Due to the fact there can only be one winner, I'm going to die. Wonderful, I've lived for little more than twelve years. He takes his place next to me. I'm literally in his shadow. Of course I am; I stand in the shadow of someone who is five feet. The crowd applauds. They at least think he has a chance. The mayor begins to read the long and boring Treaty of Treason.

During this I glance at Blake. Yeah, he was just staring out, expressionless, as always. Oblivious to the fact that I was playing all the different ways that he could kill me in my head. Then again, what do you expect from a class-A idiot? I think he used to be one of my brother's friends; I can't remember though. When the mayor is finished reading he motions for us to shake hands.

I hold out my small fragile hand. My head raises to look Blake in the face. I can't see his eyes. He holds out his hand and grabs mine in his. He has to scrunch down a little to reach my hand.

I can't help but notice how strong he is. His hand is twice my size, and even though he doesn't mean to, he is crushing my hand. I wince; he drops my hand like a hot potato, and looks away from me and towards the audience so they can give him another round of applause. The crowd applauds once again as we leave the stage escorted by Peacekeepers. I wonder how far I will make it if I try to run into the woods. I'm fast, but they can probably catch me in a hovercraft. When the possibility of that idea to escape has been disproved, I feel the crush of despair I felt that morning as the reality of my situation settles in. I silently think in my head, time to say goodbye forever.

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Right, so this is my first fanfic. I know it's kind of short. Sorry about that. If you see any misuse of words, or grammar mistakes, please let me know. Or, just let me know what you think in general. Read&Review.


	2. Chapter 2: Glitch in the system

Disclaimer: Alas, I still don't own The Hunger Games. I wonder how much it would be to buy the rites to it...probably more than I can afford._

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_Even when my dad came to say goodbye, I could tell by the look on his face and the tone in his voice that even he thought I couldn't survive. He knew I was dead, just as my brother and mother were. I remember when I was in that room, saying goodbye to my brother. My father had thought that he had stood a chance. He had lots of people come in. Only my dad came to say goodbye to me._

_I didn't talk to anyone on the train. I didn't try to make them like me. I think that even if I did, the results would be the same. Maybe if my stylist had actually tried to make me look impressive at the opening ceremony. Maybe I would have stood a chance. We have a mentor. He immediately decided to help Blake, and to completely ignore that I existed. Who was I compared to him? What is the point in supporting a hopeless cause?_

It was the first day at the training center. I was at the plant identification station; I was only half paying attention to what I was doing. The rest of my attention was focused on Blake, throwing a spear at a dummy from twenty yards away. He stabs it in the heart. His Instructions from our mentor was to intimidate the field. He was doing a pretty impressive job at that. Our mentor hadn't paid me the light of day.

I turn back to what I'm doing and feel a tap on my shoulder. When I turn around, I see a girl, about sixteen, with dark skin, brown hair, and brown eyes. She is wearing a white shirt and beige pants. While she is tall and thin, you can tell that she is also strong. Her eyes are naturally wide and she has a devious grin on her face. I instantly don't trust her. Then again, I instantly don't trust anyone. "You must be what the mentors are considering a 'hopeless cause'. So am I. My mentor didn't give me any attention. He is focused on Tannor. He doesn't think I stand a chance."

Yeah. Thanks for noticing. I start to turn away. The girl grabs my shoulder and turns me back around. "My name is Lemon. Yeah, I know, weird name. That's why my friends call me Glitch." Glitch seemed just as weird as Lemon to me. "I'm District 11. Do you want to pair up for the training session? So you don't have to wander around alone?"

I pause for a second, then answer. I don't really want to, but I don't think I can get rid of this girl, and the offer sounded truly sincere. Either that or she feels sorry for me since I'm so small. "Sure, during the training session. The name is Glynn." With that, her grin spreads and we start to travel to the different stations.

"Have you tried any weapons yet?" She asks innocently, though I'm pretty sure she knows what the answer will be.

"No…do you know how to use any of the weapons?"

"I'm okay with a knife. I have to use one when we harvest in the trees. It's easier than picking off the fruit by hand." Her grin widens even more as she says that. I wonder what that means. It's probably nothing good for me.

"Can you show me anything? I've never had to use a weapon in District 9, and I'll probably be dreadful with them all"

"Sure. Come on." She grabs my hand and sprints off towards the knife throwing station. Wow, I wonder why she chooses that one.

We spend an hour there. By the end, I'm pretty decent at throwing and handling knives. Also by that time it's lunch. Lunch is served in a giant hall directly outside the training center. In the center of the hall is a table with all sorts of amazing, delicious food on it, from all of the Districts, except they all have a Capitol flair to them. The food is the best part of the Capitol, much better than at home. I decide to only take food that is familiar. We load our plates with as much food as possible and gather in the corner of the hall.

Most tributes are sitting alone, in random places on the floor, mindlessly chewing on their food. An exception is a group of six gathered at the head of the table. They were all strong looking, and beaming with self confidence. I had seen Glitch talking to them earlier that day, before she asked me to join her. "Who are they?"

Glitch looks up, mouth full of food, and quickly swallows. "They are not nice. You don't want to hang out with them. Really mean people."

Then she realizes the other perspective of the question "Oh, they are volunteer tributes; they all volunteered to take place of the original tributes that were selected. I think they're Districts 1, 2 and 4. They didn't say, but by the look of it they have probably been training for this."

"Like it's their career?" How horrible would it be to volunteer for this terrible event, let alone train for it? We had never had anyone do that in the Games before.

"Yeah, I guess you could call them that. The Careers, suits them."

At that moment a muscular boy with dark skin, brown eyes, and close-cropped military style brown hair approached. I figure he is from District 11. Along with that assumption I figure this is also Tannor. "Glitch I-"

Glitch cut him off. "Save it, Tannor. And only my friends can call me Glitch." Hey, I was right. This is Tannor. I wonder why Glitch doesn't like him?

"Glitch, I didn't know that he would refuse to train you. I thought he could train us both. I'm sorry; I shouldn't have asked him to train us separately."

"Yeah, tell it to someone who cares. And what did I say about the name? By the way, it is your entire fault. I take none of the blame. Anyway, I have my own training partner," Glitch gestured to me, "and we have a fail proof plan, now go away." With that last part she narrowed her eyes and her grin faded. It turned her features into an almost sinister, evil look. The boy stalked away in either disappointment or regret. I start to question.

"Don't ask." She rolls her eyes as if remembering something ridiculous. Her grin returns.

"Can I ask about our fool-proof plan?"

"Yeah, about that. I'm still working on it. It doesn't quite exist yet." Her grin widens and we start laughing really hard. Everyone in the room is staring at us as if we were insane.

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That night I couldn't sleep. The Capitol beds were comfortable and all, but I was nervous about the days to come. I threw off the covers and left my room. I walked down the hall to the elevators. I looked at the illuminated buttons. The top one had an _R_ on it. _R_ for rescue, I thought. I pressed it, and the elevator shot up.

When the doors opened, I was on a roof. On the other side from where I was standing there was a garden, filled with chimes. It was magical. Maybe this was a rescue. I was so awestruck by the beauty I didn't notice the thin outline of a teenage girl. Glitch. I walked up and stood beside her.

"Past your bedtime, isn't it?" She said as she stared at the sky.

"What about you?"

She laughed. "You don't need to worry about me. How did you find this place?"

"I couldn't sleep, so I decided to take a ride in the elevator. It goes fast, like the train and it's really fun. I saw the top button labeled _R_ and I had a hopeful thought it might stand for rescue."

Glitch's ever present grin spread. "You really did? I wish that's what it stood for. But the roof is like rescue from the terror. It seems too serene to be in a place like this. Such a beautiful place, shame they hold such a barbaric event."

"Yeah, my brother was in the Hunger Games, you know?"

"Really?"

"Yeah, his name is Hayven. He didn't make it though. He got a knife through his back. Everyone thought he was going to make it, though."

"I didn't know that. I'm sorry." She was looking at me with regretful, knowing eyes. I decided to change the subject, because it looked like the current one was painful for us both.

"Are we even allowed up here?" To me, it seemed that tributes could easily jump off the side, and fall to their death.

"Yeah, watch this." She stuck out her hand past the railing and into the air that was freedom. It didn't make it there though. Some invisible force zapped it back with a loud crack, shattering the silence. I make an O with my mouth. They thought of everything. Glitch gives me a grim look. "You should probably get to sleep; the next few days are going to be important."

"Aren't all days important from now on?" Glitch laughed and nodded in response, she grabbed my hand and led me back to the elevator. She pressed 11 and 9. I felt the rush of speed as the elevator dropped. It opened at eleven, and she stepped out.

"Try to get some sleep, ok?" I nod and the doors close. Once back into the safety of my bed, I wonder if that was all a dream. I wish everything was a dream.

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Three days. That's how long we have to train until our final, private session with the Gamemakers. In that time Glitch and I try to learn and improveas many skills as possible, trying to stuff ourselves with the knowledge that will help us survivethe long weeks to come. If we even survive weeks. On the third day we try a hand at archery. After watching a demonstration by the expert at the station, I try.

With a shaky hand, I pull back the string on the bow. The expert rolls his eyes, as if he can't believe he has to put up with such incompetent fools. I aim. I hit the dummy in the chest. Both the Instructor and Glitch raise an eyebrow. "You know you're very good at repeating things." I jump, not expecting anyone to comment and face her.

"Err...What?"

Glitch giggled. "Once you see someone do something, you can repeat what they do almost flawlessly. Sometimes you're even better than they are. It's very cool to watch. It's like monkey see, monkey do."

"Oh. Okay." I look down to my feet, not sure if that was bad or good. We continue to practice in silence after that.

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Glitch and I sit quietly in our corner as we wait to be called for our private session with the Gamemakers. Boy first, then girl. When Blake's name is called; he gets up and leaves without acknowledging me or any of the other tributes. "What am I supposed to do?"

"Go ahead and do a little of everything that you practiced. Try to make it more impressive than it is by doing really fancy tricks. That might work."

"What are you going to do?"

Glitch lifts up a finger as if to lecture me. "That would be a secret. Don't want you to steal my idea. Though, they might not even be paying attention by District 11." Yeah, I'm really not sure if I should trust her. But I might have to. They call my name. I stand up and Glitch grabs my arm and hugs me. I flinch. I don't like when people hug me. It makes me feel like they're going to put a knife threw my back.

"Well I guess this is goodbye for now, we won't be able to talk until the arena."

"Goodbye, for now, and possibly forever. Good luck, with your secret plan that you can't tell me in dread that I might steal it." With that I take a deep breath, and enter the Training Center. I don't look back, even though what is forward terrifies me.

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Ok. This is getting a bit easier to write. Once again, tell me if you see any mistakes, and just tell me what you think in general. Thanks for reading. I appreciate it. :)


	3. Chapter 3: Interrogation

Disclaimer: Believe it or not, I still don't own the Hunger Games._

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_I did what she said. Yet, even with all the fancy tricks that I had executed during my session, I only managed to score a six. My brother had scored an eight. The Careers scored an average between eight and ten. Tannor and Blake scored nines. He was the one congratulated. Most of the others scored seven and below._

_Glitch scored a ten. She was one of the best. Better than some of the Careers. I don't know how she did that, but she must have some secret. I'm still conflicting whether or not I should trust her in the arena. I might have to though. We had the interviews two nights after we received our scores._

I had sat in the corner while they coached Blake on which angle he should take in the interview. He was to be fierce, yet likeable. Those seemed pretty contradicting to me. My brother had just been likable. It was easy for him, since he naturally was. Once again, they weren't bothering with me. That was all I did that day. Watch them help him with his contradicting angle and ignore me. Oh yeah, and, try, hopefully, learn something in order to possibly not embarrass myself during the interview. In the end, I didn't learn anything. At this rate, it would be amazing if I even managed to pull off even one sponsor.

When I was sent to my stylist the next day, all he had was a black dress, and black leather sandals for me to wear. When I asked him what it had to do with my District, he said that it was black. Just like burnt wood.

He didn't do anything to my hair, so I put it up in a ponytail. He didn't have any makeup put on me. He either: didn't care, hated his job or hated me. I have a feeling it was a combination of all three. He gave me the dress to put on and then left.

The success of my interview would rest solely on my shoulders, and my abilities to please the crowd. I still didn't have an angle to play. So, I took a deep breath, and advanced to my demise. The only thing that is scarier than having to face twenty-three children trying to kill you; having to talk about yourself in front of cameras.

The guy who hosted the interview was sympathetic of the tributes. He honestly tried to help us out, though I'm not sure if that will be enough. His name is Augustus Flickerman. He has this creepy blood red hair and a matching suit. It reminded me of my death that was sure to come. Obviously dyed, though, no one had that color hair. Not even the tributes from District 5's hair were that shade of red. All the tributes sit in a semi-circle around the stage where we are interviewed, trying our best to smile, and have correct posture, even though more than half of us hated everyone in the room. The only ones that might like people in this room would be the Capitol's lap dogs, aka the Careers.

I sweep the circle looking for Glitch. And there she is. She looks beautiful. Her hair is all done up and she is wearing a green dress all encircled with brown rope that look like vine. If only I had her stylist. Maybe then I would look so amazing it wouldn't matter what I said. They must have started paying attention to her once she got that ten. She saw me staring and grinned. She waves. I turned down and looked at my feet, not wanting her to see how angry I was at her. How jealous I was that she was perfect. This was not fair.

District one was first, beginning with the girl, then the boy, and so on until District twelve. They all had angles to play. I tried to think of one while they interviewed the others, while I kept smiling and looking like I was paying attention. That was not easy. But they only had three minuets each. I was up before I knew it. Unfortunately for me, I still didn't have an angle to play. I could feel the pressure collecting in my head as I walked to the stage.

Augustus introduced me to the crowd. Then he started to interrogate me. I say interrogate, instead of interviewing, because interrogation is what happens before you die. "So, Glynn, what about the Capitol has impressed you most?"

I take a long pause before answering. The longer I took to answer the question, the less he could ask, and the less likely I was to say something wrong. Also, I needed to make sure that my answers didn't lead to more questions. I think back to the roof, where I had my conversation with Glitch "Um…the elevators I guess. They are really fast, and fun to ride." The audience laughs.

"Yeah, I know. Sometimes I take a whole day off just to ride the elevators." The audience laughs at that. Way to turn around a lame response, Augustus! "Have you ever tried jumping right before they lift up?"

"No."

"I won't tell you, but it is really fun, you should try." Would I get hurt if I do that?

"I will." I promise.

"So, what does it feel like to be the youngest competitor here? Do you feel intimidated?" Oh great, now onto serious matters. I knew this wouldn't be all fun and games.

"I guess no matter what the age, the fear of events or of the people that present them, depends on the individual themselves, not exactly the age of the tribute." Wow, that sounded more mature than I normally would answer…cool.

"Are you intimidated though?"

Wow. He really wanted me to answer that question. "No." He raised his eyebrow and waited for further explanation. When he realized that none was forthcoming, he continued.

"Do you think that any of the other tributes will count you out as a threat?" Um, it might just be me, but that seems like a question that you would ask to the other tributes, not to me.

"Probably all of them will. Though, it isn't really that smart to do that." Awe man, I realize after I answered I led a doorway to a whole new question. I should have just cut off at 'probably all of them will.'

"And, why is that?"

"Because you never know when someone has a secret that they are hiding." I wasn't thinking of myself when I said that, I was thinking of Glitch.

"So then, do you have some secret skill? Or some plan to keep you alive?" I think back to the training center.

"Um…even if I had a skill I wouldn't say what it was, due to the fact that my fellow tributes are sitting within hearing range of me, and that would mean that the skill is no longer 'secret'. And I do have a plan, a fool-proof plan." I hear a giggle from behind me; I've heard it enough by now to know who it belongs to. Just like Glitch with Tannor, my statement is total and complete lies, I have no clue what I'm going to do. My brain was throbbing inside my skull. Adrenalin was rushing through my body. I wanted to run. I wanted to hide, to get out of there now. I knew I couldn't though. I felt like a trapped animal. How much time is left?

"You seem very sure of yourself." Is that even a question? It seems more of a statement to me. I guess I'm to accept or deny his claims.

"I do? I'm actually terrified." That scores a big laugh from the audience. I guess that was the right thing to say. The longer they laugh, the less I have to say.

"Anyone routing for you back at home?" Touché subject. He really should have left that one alone. Didn't he know the tributes backgrounds? I was told that's how he formulates the questions. Maybe he wanted to get me to talk about Hayven and my mother.

"My dad, but he is probably planning my funeral at this moment." Another laugh, yet there was nothing funny about that. These people are sick. Augustus had a look realization on his face. As if he had just thought up a perfect question to reply to that.

"He doesn't think you stand a chance?" I don't think that was the question he was thinking of before though…it seems too simple.

"I don't think anyone does. I've always been small, and I'm not that strong. I am smarter than most though. So you shouldn't count me out yet." At least that was truth. No one in their right mind would expect me to make it pass the first hour, except maybe Glitch.

"I wouldn't even dream of it. Good luck." Yeah, because I'm sure you mean that, and you're not just saying that to look good on camera.

"Thank you." The bell rings.

"Ladies and Gentleman, Glynn Sail, District 9." Everyone applauds. I retreat back into the safety seat. It's all I can do not to sprint there. The throbbing in my brain sets aside once I sit back into my chair. It kind of creeps me out that Augustus knew that the bell was about to ring. Maybe he was counting the time in his head. Maybe he wanted to get over with this just as much as I did.

I still have no idea which angle I took. I don't pay attention to any of the other tributes until Glitch is up. Her dress flows behind her as she walks, making her look like she is surrounded by mist. She is playing the sly and elusive angle. She pulls it off flawlessly. Augustus asks her what makes her think she is going to win the game.

"I'm extremely clever, hard to trick and impossible to catch. I can survive through anything they throw at me." With that she looks toward the Gamemakers, as if she was challenging them to respond to her bold comment.

"Can you give us any hints of how you scored that ten? It's a really impressive score." Yes, do tell, Glitch.

"Thank you, but, no, I'm not supposed to speak of it. So my lips are sealed. You will just have to wait until the games to find out." That is a very elusive answer. I want to know how she got that score. I have a feeling the knives weren't the only thing that contributed.

The crowd loves her by the end. She is the favorite. She will have tons of sponsors lining up to help her win the games. My interview was a total and complete failure. Her Interview was a success. She could possibly be plotting my death in the arena, but she might be my only hope of survival in this game.

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Ok. This is the shortest chapter so far. Oh, yeah, I wasn't joking when I was talking about jumping up once an elevator starts to move. You have to jump right before it starts to move though. Oh, and make sure no one you don't know is in the elevator. They might think you're crazy. Anyway, please Read&Review this chapter. I know I have only had this story posted three days, but I thought maybe one person would review at this point. It is making me quite sad. :'(


	4. Chapter 4: Let the Games Begin

Disclaimer: I have yet to own the Hunger Games.

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I rub my arm. It's still sore from where they injected the tracker. They wouldn't want to lose a tribute. My stylist is blankly staring at the wall while mindlessly sipping a glass of red wine, legs crossed. He moves aside a strand of his bright purple hair in a rather feminine fashion. I doubt he even knows my name yet. Oh well, it's not like I know his.

I'm wearing black, long pants and a red short-sleeve tee shirt, with leather lining the inside of both, almost like armor. The material is waterproof. I also have boots, and a very light, blue jacket. I've been told you can foretell what the arena will be like from the clothes that you are given to wear. It might be a desert, with lots of cactus, which would be an explanation for the leather lining on the inside of the clothing. Though, if it is a desert, why do I have a jacket? Cold nights, perhaps? I guess I will find out soon enough.

I've been sitting on the platform, which will lift me up towards my death, for about fifteen minuets. I guess I just want this over with. Be as close to it as possible. I have convinced most of myself that I'm going to die. Some part of me has yet to believe that though. All I can hope for is a quick death. I feel that painless would be too much to ask for. A strand of hair falls out of my ponytail and into my face. I brush it behind my ear. "Contestants, prepare for launch." I hear a voice say. About time. I've already been prepared since I got here.

Five minutes later, I'm trapped inside a clear tube. Great, they want me to confine me so I don't try to run. Then the platform starts to slowly rise, in an antagonizing manner. A feel an emptying sensation in the pit of my stomach, and stand up. Before I'm engulfed in total darkness, my stylist yells out "Remember, 60 seconds." I look at him quizzically and point to my ear. He then rapidly flashes six ten times on his fingers.

That is the time that we have to stand on the platform. Move off before then, and you get blasted to smithereens by the land mines that encircle the metal platforms. I've heard stories from the first Hunger games. Tributes that weren't told about the mines, and had been killed before the games had even started, because they rushed for the bountiful goods that were placed in the cornucopia, unknowing of the hazard that lay before them. I didn't witness this personally, being only three at the time, but I have no doubt that these accounts are true. They all seem heartless enough to do such a thing.

I'm in the dark for fifteen seconds. Then a blinding light greets me, rendering me sightless for a few seconds before my eyes adjust. I blink rapidly to recover, not liking the feeling of such helplessness. A male voice booms from speakers in the sky, "Ladies and Gentlemen, let the eleventh Hunger Games begin!" Yeah, let the Hunger Games begin. The voice says it like it's a big sporting event. I guess to them it is.

The first thing I register is the extreme humidity and heat. Great, I hate the heat. The second thing is the smell of brackish water, and the buzzing sound of bugs flying next to my ear. We are in a swamp. There are cypress and mangroves all over the place, and a few other trees with large, climbable branches that I don't recognize. I grew up in the lumbering district, but I barely had any idea about swamp trees, just a little bit of knowledge obtained here and there.

I see an alligator sink into the brackish water. Even though I haven't seen an alligator in person, I've seen pictures. I've heard stories of what they can do. If there is one, there must be more. They are going to be one of the biggest problems caused by arena, but possibly a source of food. Maybe even the only source of food. I hope not.

We are on an island of dirt, surprisingly dry, raised above the primary hazards of the swamp; in the middle of the circle of tributes that are evenly spaced apart is a giant golden cornucopia. That is what everyone has their envious eyes on.

The Cornucopia holds things for survival in the arena. Vital items that will provide life in the arena such as food and water; or items that will inflict death in the arena such as weapons and poison. The closer they are to the Cornucopia, the greater value belonging to the supplies. I look at the items closest to me. I decide to go for them and get out of there. I would only sprint fifty yards. That would be the plan safest for me, I'm a fast sprinter, and I might be spared from the bloodbath to follow if I'm quick to escape into the sanctuary of the trees, where I can hopefully move more agile than the others. But hopefully, the others wouldn't bother with me anyway.

I look around at the other tributes. Each one has their eyes fixated on something held within the Cornucopia. I see Glitch. She has her eyes laid on a set of knives sixty yards in. You can tell that she is preparing to sprint for them. Maybe with knives she managed to win that score of a ten. I see Blake eying a cluster of spears. He doesn't need to be fast to get those. All he has to do is shove the other contestants out of the way, but with his size they would probably just move over. I kneel down, and prepare to sprint, adrenaline starting to pump through my body.

The gong rings. I dash in. I manage to garb a black backpack, a knife in one hand and bow and a set of twelve arrows in the other. Some tributes are already starting to take off into the different parts of the arena, not taking the risk of fighting for anything. I see others have reached the peak of the Cornucopia. The carnage of mass murder has officially begun. And I'm going to be part of it if I don't get out. One girl, a Career from District 1, I think, she has platinum blond hair, sees me standing there and raises her spear. Then I run for my life, literally. The girl forgets about me and turns back towards the Cornucopia, probably to steal the riches.

You have to splash through the water to get to the trees. I try to pick the shortest path to the trees, which is about a foot and three-fourths of a foot deep, and fifty yards distance from the island, in order to not become a target for those competing over the bountiful supplies of the Cornucopia. I avoid the wrath of the weapons set forth by my fellow tributes, but not that of the alligators. One of the juveniles manages to get a small, quick bite on my leg before I'm able to get to the roots of the mangroves, raising me above the dangers of the alligators and sheltering me from the other tributes. It didn't bite that hard; and thankfully the leather protected me from the alligator piercing through any of my skin. I could still see bite marks though, were the pressure of the jaw had enclosed around my leg. I didn't have an open wound thankfully, which would be really bad because I'm pretty sure infection will set in very quick in this swamp due to the bugs and the infested water.

I sprint along, inside the protection of the mangrove forest, away from the bloodbath at the Cornucopia. I haven't heard the cannons that count up the dead yet, so the battle must still be raging. All those pour dying children…all I'm able to think is that I'm glad I'm not a part of it.

As I move, I see a small, baby alligator swimming in a narrow shallow part of the swamp, the water level had been decreasing as I moved further into the forest. I knelt on the root and picked up the little alligator. It was only about a foot long, and it was cute, unlike the adult alligators. I was examining it when I heard a low grumble. I turned behind me and saw a six foot alligator glaring at me.

Its head sunk below the water. I saw its tail thrash, and I knew that it was coming towards me. Consumed suddenly with fear, I dropped the baby and sprinted. I didn't even bother to place the gator down gently. I did not want to be attacked by and alligator, much less one that big. I would end up dying for sure.

After fifteen minutes of navigation through the mangrove forest, avoiding angry mother alligators and evasion of meeting any tributes that were trying to kill me, I hear the cannons fire. I stop to listen. On my fingers I count: first one, then two, all the way up to nine. Nine down, fourteen to go. That is a lot of people left to kill me. I wonder who is among the survivors. Did Glitch make it? I hope that she did, even though I don't really trust her, I want her to be the victor. Blake would benefit my family the most, but I don't like him. Although, I guess I have to wait until tonight when they flash the faces of the dead into the sky.

After what seems about five hours of leaping along the roots of mangroves, I empty my pack, to see what the Gamemakers have decided to put in it. There was a bag of dried fruit, a half-gallon of water, a first aid kit, about three feet of cloth and iodine. I haven't realized how thirsty I've been. I take a sip of the water. It's still four fifths full once I finish, but it won't last forever, so the iodine will come in use. I would also need to find more food. That brings me back to the idea of the alligators being the only source of food. But alligators have to eat too, says a voice in the back of my mind.

I also had the knife, and the bow and arrows, which I could use to acquire food. The arrows didn't have a sheathe, so I put them in my backpack, in a way that I can have easy access to them. I can also use them long range if I see any other tributes. I realize I'm dead if I end up in hand to hand combat. Other than that, so far so good, at least I haven't died yet. I haven't seen any of the other tributes since the cornucopia. I'm not sure if this is a good or bad thing.

I walk for three more hours through the swamp, careful to walk on top of the mangrove tree roots, until I happen upon a willow tree. This would probably be safe. At least alligators can't climb trees. People can, says that annoying voice in the back of my mind that seems to want to disagree with every train of thought I have.

I'm able to climb up easily, due to the fact I spent most of my free time in District 9 up in trees. Hopefully none of the others can do this with as much ease as me. Once I found a sturdy branch at a decent height, I take off my backpack and use it as a pillow, and then get comfortable. I don't move in my sleep, which is a good thing, so I didn't bother to use my belt to buckle myself in.

I drift off until I hear the anthem. I look up into the sky and see the symbol of the Capitol. After it ends and the symbol disappears, the faces of the dead start to flash into the sky. My brother's face was in this first round three years ago. They show a head shot of the tribute, and the district they were from below it. In the sky tonight are both from three, the girl from five, both from six, the boy from seven, the boy from ten, and both from twelve. Those were the ones killed at the Cornucopia. That leaves all of the Careers, the boy from five, the girl from seven, both from eight, the girl from ten, Blake, Glitch, and Tannor. Everyone whose name I knew survived, great. That just means that they're more likely to kill me. Or I'm more likely to kill them. With that pleasant thought still circling in my head, I drift off. The last image in my head before I'm asleep is that of Glitch grinning and waving at me from a tree far in the distance.

That night I had a dream of falling. I fell out of the tree. The wind rushed by my face. I didn't even have a chance to scream. I flipped upside down and landed on my neck. It crushed beneath the weight of the rest of my body. I heard a cannon fire. When I finally woke up, I was still in the tree, in the same position, breathing heavily. I'm pretty sure that the cannon hadn't fired though. I try to shake of the dream, but I simply can't. How do you forget a dream of dying, in an arena where you are sure to do so?

Once I wake up enough to process my surroundings, I can't help but notice that the water level has risen two feet higher. And it's still climbing rapidly. I think this means I'm supposed to keep moving uphill.

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Ok, I got a review, and I would like to say thank you. :D. Anyhow, said person said I should try to put a little more of Glynn's thoughts to make the story longer. This is my attempt to that. After an hour of looking through and editing, I must say, it did add a bit of volume. I suppose I will get better at that in time. Also, there was a foggy connection between the summary and the story. I guess it will be one of those things you don't get until the end. So, I guess tell me if this chapter is any better.


	5. Chapter 5: Gator Attack

Disclaimer: Still don't own the Hunger Games.

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I know that I've been traveling uphill. The water has been decreasing in height, signifying that I had been moving in an upward direction. The arena seemed to be a basin. The water surrounding the island that we started on must be the lowest point. They are probably trying to drive away any who still linger there, split them from the supplies they fought for, and make them survive of instinct and skill. They might also be trying to submerge those of us who are moving among the trees, trying to get away from both the Cornucopia, and those that defended it. Then they will probably drive us back down to the center. From past experience of watching the Hunger Games, I know that they tend to do ridiculous time consuming things such as that to keep us irritable, and to keep our blood moving. That is to ensure that the death rates and gory fights keep coming so they don't get bored watching us survive in peace, without killing each other. Wouldn't want that, would they?

I put the knife through a slip in my belt, in case I have to reach for it quickly, put on my back pack, and ready my bow with an arrow, in case I have to fight off other tributes at a moment's notice. I hope that the opportunity never presents itself. Anyway, now is the time to reach higher land so I don't drown.

I'm still in the mangrove forest. I remember that the other major part of the arena is the cypress forest. That is on the opposite side of the arena though. It has tall, practically un-climbable trees, along with other trees with thick branches that are easy enough to climb. The one of the only good parts about that portion of the arena is that the trees are incredibly dense, making hiding an easy task. But if someone finds you, you're dead.

I start jumping along the roots of the mangrove trees, going as quickly as I can without losing my footing. I've gone along for about ten minutes when I hear a blood curling scream. I raise my bow and slam myself against a tree with inhuman speed. Either the girl could scream really loud, or she was really close. I had a feeling that whatever got her was coming for me next. I take three long leaps, and then heave myself into the top most branches of the mangrove tree I just cornered myself against and wait to see if the attacker will come my way.

Concealed among the branches, I see it. This massive seven-foot alligator carrying the mangled body of a fifteen-year-old girl swims threw the water. My eyes widen at the sight of it. Her hand was trailing limply by the side of the alligator. Blood was staining the path that the gator was moving along.

I was right about the alligators being a threat. This one was even larger than the one that I had run into yesterday when handling the baby alligator. I really need to be much more careful, any more stupid stunts like that and I will be dead before I realize. The alligator was moving through the newly raised water with ease.

I could see that the girl was still alive; her breathing was hard and rapid. She didn't have much longer. The alligator's jaw was enclosed around her abdominal, piercing through her lungs probably. There was nothing I could do to save her. All I was able to do was watch in as this event unraveled before me. I wait three more minutes. Then her breathing stops.

I hear a cannon fire. Everything silences, the alligator even stops moving. I move uncomfortably and impatiently in my crouching position. A hovercraft appears out of nowhere a few seconds later. It spears the alligator through the stomach, killing it, and then loosens the girl from the jaw with a rope. They then drop down a metal claw and move it around the girl and bring her up, leaving the gator just lying there. Then, as quickly as it came, it leaves. I listen as the noise continues once the hovercraft is gone.

The alligator is still there though. Did they mean to leave it just lying there? Maybe they poisoned the spear so that we wouldn't be able to harvest the meat. That was a rather tempting carcass. It was seven feet of food, and nourishment provided from this one alligator, sitting there, having everything but a golden platter. My dried fruit won't last forever. And I doubt the Games would be that short. I hop out of my protective spot in the tree, and dash to where the alligator lie dead. Only when I got there, I learned that it wasn't dead.

Its breathing was shallow, and it didn't appear to be moving. Being me, I instantly thought that it was trying to trick me. I stopped so suddenly I almost lost my balance and fell into the swamp. I barely managed to catch myself on a branch and regain my stability. Only a yard away from where the alligator lie, I cautiously lifted my bow and shot an arrow through its eye, piercing its brain, and stopping the breathing forever.

I retrieved the arrow, and with yet another sudden adrenalin rush, I flipped the creature over so that its soft, vulnerable belly was facing upward. I took out my knife and began to work quickly. I knew that the others had probably heard the cannon fire, so they were most likely on their way here, in hope to kill the 'tribute' that killed the girl. I slit the gator with a vertical line from the tip of its skull, to the beginning of its tail. I started to cut out meat. While I did this a strand of loose hair fell out of my ponytail. I figured there was no use trying to put it back there. I put it behind my ear. What I was able to cut out of the gator, I wrapped in my cloth. It wasn't much, but it should last three days of meals. It was a start; I just needed to find a way to cook it without signaling the others of my location.

I put the wrapped up meat into my backpack and took off. After ten minutes of walking, I heard birds chirping. Birds. There was other food here. I looked up into the trees and saw a nest in the higher branches. I climbed up the mangrove tree in which the nest was located with ease. Once beside it I examined its contents. There was one hatchling, the one that was making the chirping, and two other eggs. I didn't know what type of bird, but I figure all birds would be defensive if you get by their nest. I didn't see the mother, but she wouldn't be far. I've had enough experience with messing with the offspring of the animals in the arena. I took only one egg and climbed back down before my theft was detected.

I stopped running for now, and slowed down to a walk. I poked a hole into the egg and sucked out the insides, still in fear of my location being shown if I light a fire. Even though the egg wasn't cooked, it still satisfied my hunger, and even some of my thirst. It had a unique taste to it.

I notice haven't seen any of the other tributes in a while. The rising of the water seemed to stop, which probably meant that the gory death of the girl mauled by the monstrous, seven-foot alligator gave them some satisfaction, to relieve them of their boredom. Maybe that was their goal. Submerge someone in water so that an alligator would get them.

As I was walking, it started to rain, hard. I took out my water bottle, to collect water, but I only managed to collect about a fifth of the bottle. It only rained for about ten minutes, yet I was totally and completely soaked. It was weird. When it rains in District 9, it rains for at least an hour, sometimes more, but it is either light and consistent, or heavy and consistent. Here there were short burst of heavy rain at sporadic moments.

Even after it stopped, I was still thirsty. I still had half a container full before it started to rain, but since I added some of the rain water, I probably had to purify it, so I don't become sick. Who knows what is in the water? Since I collected so little though, I didn't want to waste my iodine. That's when I saw a puddle of water that collected in the roots of a mangrove, and quickly ran over there. I scoped up enough water to fill my container back to the top. I added enough iodine to purify it. I placed the lid back on, put it back in my backpack, and waited for the iodine to do its job. I figure that I might as well do something productive while I wait, so I continued to walk for thirty minutes. Enjoying the beautiful scenery the arena had to offer. Then I took out my bottle and drank some of my water, then continued, once again, on my way.

I was genuinely surprised that nothing bad has happened yet. Well, to me anyway. I couldn't say the same for any of my fellow tributes. I especially couldn't say the same for the girl killed by the alligator.

I personally was still surprised that I was still alive. I didn't expect to live past the first day. I wonder if my father is surprised by my short-lived success. I haven't seen any one else in a while. I wonder if those who had control of the Cornucopia had their supplies flooded. It would probably be the Careers if anyone. I wonder if they were hunting now. They seemed the type to do so.

Then I heard a cannon fire. I guess I was right; they had started to hunt the others. Either that or whoever it was that just died had been killed by an alligator as well. As a precaution, I retreated into a nearby mangrove tree, in case the murders were close by. It was almost dark, an hour until sunset. I would see who just was killed soon. I'd also see the district of the girl killed this morning.

An hour and thirty minutes after I retreated into my tree, the anthem played. After the capitol's symbol flashed, I saw the face of the girl who was killed by the alligator. She was the tribute from District 10. The second face to flash was the boy from District 8. He must have been the one who was killed recently. I wish they showed who killed the tributes, and where, but it is thought that if they did that it would be an unfair advantage…I don't really agree with them on that one. Then again, I don't agree with them on many things. One of those things being the senseless murder of twenty three teenagers. Oh well, only twelve tributes to go. Half way done.

I decided that I might as well sleep in the tree that I positioned myself in earlier. It was dark, and I would be easy to sneak up on if I kept moving, plus I was tired, lazy and didn't feel like moving. As I drifted off, I felt as if someone was watching me. I was too tired to question or investigate though. I heard laughter in the distance before falling into my dream, literally.

I dreamt of falling again. It was really starting to annoy me. These dreams had an ominous felling to them. Once again I fell and landed on my neck, all before I could scream. And once again I heard the cannon fire right before I awoke. The only thing that was different this time was that I awoke to the splashing of human feet navigating quickly through the forest. I had a feeling they were hunting, not being hunted. They were making too much noise if they were trying to escape. I needed to run. I lifted my backpack to my shoulder. I turned around into a crouching position on the branch, ready to jump to the ground and run for my life. That is when I saw the person perched on the branch next to me, knife raised, ready to strike.

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Thanks to the three people who have reviewed so far! It makes me feel like I'm no longer talking to myself. Anyway, I know that this isn't the best chapter. If you think different, do tell. But if you agree with me, don't worry, it'll get better, I just don't want to skip any days in the Games. Thanks for reading. :D


	6. Chapter 6: First Kill

Disclaimer: I don't own the Hunger Games. Nor do I own the invention known as 'spell check', which has both aided and made my life miserable.

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Seeing Glitch perched next to me, knife raised made me think one thing: betrayal. After that it made me think another thing: Holy crap, I am going to die. I should have known our alliance wouldn't last into the arena. Now she was going to kill me, just like she was probably going to do to every other tribute in the arena, rather they like it or not. I knew I shouldn't have trusted her. I shouldn't trust anyone. I catch her eye. I'm surprised to see it focused in the distance.

"They're coming, we have to go." Glitch said.

"What?" Um…at this rate I'm confused. Then I realize. She does want to help me. The knife isn't aimed at me. It's aimed towards the trees, just like her eyes. I hear the splashing of human feet again. About four pairs, maybe more. They are headed this way.

"Come on. Draw your bow. Ready an arrow" She grabs my arm and drags me along the branch; while she does this I take out my bow and position an arrow. She then drops my hand and jumps to the next branch. She motions me to follow. I think back to my dream. I think back, to falling to my death. The blood in my head is pounding harder than ever now. I need to jump though. I take a deep breath and mimic her movements. I land on the branch of the next tree. Glitch grins and nods, taking off faster, jumping from branch to branch, with myself in close pursuit, bow still loaded and at the ready for any sign of attack by the pursuers.

We kept this up for twenty minutes. Flying through the trees, it reminds me of birds. The scenery would be beautiful, if we weren't running for our lives. I wasn't really paying attention my surroundings though. I was trying too hard to keep my balance, and make sure I didn't lose my footing. Those chasing us were still able to keep up. Glitch stopped. I barely managed to keep from ramming into her, and almost drop my bow and arrow. I started to fall. It's a good thing I didn't though. I jumped to the branch beside the one that Glitch rested on to keep from tumbling off of the branch. The running had almost become routine, it seemed weird to stop so suddenly. We were now in the cypress portion of the arena.

"It's no use…They will keep chasing us… We are going to have to fight… or trick them, but we can't outrun them." Glitch said in between heavy breaths of air.

I looked down. I tried to concentrate on my breathing. The splashing was getting louder. We didn't have much time until they arrived. When I raised my head to look and see if Glitch had an idea I almost screamed. There was a cluster of snakes at the end of the branch that I was sitting on. Not ordinary snakes either. Assassination Pythons, they are mutations. They were created by the Capitol during the time of the Rebellion. They, much like Trackerjackers, will hunt and kill whatever disrupts them. They live in groups of five or more. They are huge. They kill by strangling their prey. They are unnaturally fast. The branch I'm on is bending under their burden. Just a bit more weight and it would snap.

I turn towards Glitch, finding her deep in thought, probably trying to figure out how to fight or perhaps just how to make it out alive. I hesitate before interrupting her train of thought. "Glitch, I have an idea."

"What?" She asks annoyed. I can tell I interrupted her train of thought. As an answer, I point to the end of the branch. She looks to where I was pointing and gasped.

"It just needs a bit more weight, and it will snap, we can wait until their under it. The snakes will land on them and kill them all, or at least some of them. "

Glitch grins, her features lightened up by the ingenious idea. "Good idea. Actually, it's a great idea. How about you jump, the force should break the branch."

"What if I fall with the snakes?" the idea of my dream becoming a reality frightens me.

"I'll catch you. I promise. Don't worry you can trust me." Yeah, sure, what makes you think I should trust you, I think in my head. Then again, if I do die, at least I'm taking others down with me…

"Ok." I stutter, I still don't trust her, but what would be her reason to kill me? She would be that much closer to winning, says that annoying contradicting voice in my head. The splashing stops. I look down and see six tributes. It's the Careers.

Three boys and three girls. They are hunting in a pack. You can tell which ones were from the same district. There are two blonds with pale skin, due to years of pampering, two brunettes with a light tan and two with black hair, and a really deep tan, which oddly resembled fish. We are pretty high in a tree; I'm not sure what type of tree though. They look pretty heavy. I don't think they would be stupid enough to climb up to kill us.

"How is it going, Alec, Darcie, Demetri, Ethan, Allia, and Electa?" Glitch calls down. How does she know all of their names? Does she have a secret alliance?

"Not bad Glitch, who's your pathetic little friend?" A boy, with platinum blond hair, from District 1, I think, says. Even though I don't know him, I don't like him.

"Be nice, Demetri, her name Is Glynn." Glitch shouts in a tone of false patience.

"Wait, so, you blew us off for the twelve-year-old? That was your alliance?" The girl, with coal black hair, District 4, says in utter disbelief.

"Yeah, that pretty much sums it up." Glitch grins as wide as she can, to make sure those down on the ground can see.

The girl shook with what could only be anger. "Why, you jealous, Allia?" says the boy from District 4 in a taunting tone.

"Shut up, Alec. No one cares what you have to say." Allia snaps back.

Alec lunges. I watch them take part in a fist fight. None of the others step forward to stop them. "What do you think is the chance of them killing each other?" I whisper into Glitch's ear, while I nervously eye the Assassination Pythons. Glitch tries to suppress a laugh.

"Unfortunately for us, it's not that likely." Then she yells down forty feet to the Careers. "So, one of you guys going to come up here, or are you just going to stand there and try to kill each other?" Alec freezes in mid-punch. He and Allia drop their hands to their sides, embarrassed almost.

"Hey, Darcie, I've seen you climb trees back in District 1. You're up." Demetri shrugged to the thin, blond haired girl, who I supposed was Darcie. I recognize her as the one with the spear that had lost interest in me on the first day in the arena. She was at least 120lbs.

Darcie begs to differ though, "Yeah, but only, like, fifteen or twenty feet high. I'll, like, die if try to climb that high. The branches won't support my, like, weight." I roll my eyes. I'm no grammar genius, but I think it's grammatically incorrect to use 'like' so much in the same sentence.

The boy from District 2, Ethan, I guess that is his name by process of elimination, steps up. "I might be able to throw my spear that high… but they probably would be able to get out of the way before it hits."

They had been moving as they talked, almost like looking at us from different angles will pose a new opportunity to kill us. They were now in the perfect location for me to drop the Assassination Pythons on them. I look to Glitch. She nods. I take a deep breath. I hope that I can trust her on this. I scrunch down and with all my power kick off. When I land back down on the branch, I feel it snap under the pressure of my foot.

I know I'm falling. I know the rush associated with falling. Three years ago, when I was nine, I climbed dangerously high into a tree, over one-hundred feet high. It was a month after my brother's death. My father had to beg me to come down. I finally did, about an hour after reaching the top. Forty feet from the bottom I accidentally stepped on a thin branch and it snapped underneath my foot. Time seemed to slow down. Then, as if to make up for lost time, it speeds up as you fall. I broke my left arm; it hit a branch when I fell. That was it. My father said I could have had a lot worse. I hit almost every branch on the left side of the tree as I fell. None of them hit my head. For once, I was lucky.

Time still hasn't speed up. I know shouldn't have trusted her. Time starts to accelerate, death time I think. Then I felt a painful yank on my arm. I look up. Glitch caught me. I could tell she struggled to pull up my weight, but she managed. I heard a crash, followed by screams. I looked down. I instantly wish that I didn't. The scene unfolding below me terrified me.

Demetri, Alec, and Allia were taking off, sprinting, into the woods leaving their companions behind to die there unpleasant deaths. Snakes had gotten to three of the Careers. Ethan's muscular body was being constricted by two of the larger snakes. Electa had only one smaller Assassination Python attacking her, but it was around her neck. Darcie's frail body was being strangled by three snakes. They weren't screaming. They were close to dead. All of the air was pressed from their lungs. They were all goners. Even if we wanted to, we couldn't help them.

"Come on, let's go." Glitch helped me to my feet. I was a bit shaken. I still can't believe she saved me.

We took off through the trees. Over the course of ten minutes, we heard three cannon fires; one for each of the teenagers that we had left there to die. After what seemed like hours of jumping, we stopped to rest. Breathing heavily, we sat down on the branch of one of those trees with the thick branches that I didn't know the names off. Glitch took off her backpack. It was a brown color, and was fairly large. I wonder what is in there. She took out a water skin and started taking little sips of it. I did the same with mine. It was getting dark.

We were resting on a fairly large branch. Big enough for both of us to lie down on side by side without falling off. We had agreed to stay there subconsciously. We haven't talked since we killed those three tributes. The Capitol's symbol shined into the sky and the anthem started to play. There were three faces in the sky tonight. The faces that belonged to Ethan, Electa, and Darcie; the three Careers strangled by snakes. Only nine tributes left. There were less than half of what there was to begin with. I looked over to Glitch. The look on her face was grim.

I finally convinced myself to go to sleep. If she wanted to kill me, she would have let me fall to my death when the branch snapped. Once again, I dream of falling; only I'm the one watching this time. I can't make out the face of the person, who is tumbling towards their death. I hear the cannon fire and I bolt awake. I look to my side. Glitch is still there, sleeping beside me. I let out a deep breath that I didn't even know I was holding; or why I was holding it.

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Ok. I kept thinking that this was chapter seven, but I managed to figure out that it is chapter six. My math skills are bad, but not that bad. Anyway, read and review. Thanks for reading.


	7. Chapter 7: An Alliance

Disclaimer: I still don't own the Hunger Games...

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I blink and rub my eyes, wiping any remnants of sleep from them. Everything is at peace. The sun is just rising and there are quiet sounds of bugs flying around and birds chirping. I gently shake Glitch awake. Instantly she jumps into striking position, knife at the ready. A glint in her eyes shows one that is completely awake, not one that has just risen. It scares me how quickly she accomplished that task. I wonder if she learned to master the ability to control adrenaline. Or maybe she was just more afraid then she let on to be.

Once Glitch sees no one is attacking her, she relaxes. She plops onto the branch, with her legs dangling off the side, and puts her knife in a leather holder around her belt. I watch as she does this. There are eight others there as well. I guess I was right when I thought that she was going after the set of knives. I wonder how quickly she could stick one of those in me…

She looks up once the knife is back in its place. "Good morning, Glynn." She says in a pleasant tone, as if yesterday's events have not even fazed her.

"Morning, what are we going to do today then?" I guess Glitch will be making all the plans from now until we split. I flinch at the thought of separation, Glitch hasn't hurt me yet, and she has helped me a lot. I was almost regretting when that time would come.

"Um…You want to be offensive, or defensive?" I wonder where she learned that terminology. No one told me I had options, except the one in which I could live or die. But that was sort of forced, so even that choice wasn't really an option.

"What do you mean by that, exactly?" I say as I try my hardest not to sound too naive.

"You want to kill, or keep from being killed?" Um…well, keeping from dying sounds pretty nice to me, and we were already doing that. I also didn't want to face murder so soon after yesterday. I needed time to recover my conscience.

"Keeping from being killed seems good to me." I answer blandly.

"Yeah, sounds good to me too. Ok, so I know that you have water, a knife, and those bow and arrows in you pack. Aside from that, what else do you have?" I hesitate. What happens if I tell her, she shoves me off the branch, and takes all of my supplies? She could have done that yesterday, but she didn't. So, what do I have to lose? Oh yeah, all I have to lose is my life, so why not?

I recollect everything I have in my mind for a few seconds before answering. "I have iodine, dried fruit, some cloth, uncooked alligator meat, and a first aid kit. I'm not that sure what is in the first aid kit. I haven't had the need to check. What do you have in your pack?" I need to make sure we were on the same level of knowledge.

Glitch doesn't hesitate before answering me. "I have several water bottles, sent to me by my sponsor, some fruits that I have found in the trees, an extra set of clothes and a sleeping bag. Oh, and my knives, but I think you already knew that. I have nine if you need one." The other information registered, but only one question stuck into my mind: She has a sponsor? I knew she would get one, but I didn't realize how unfair it would seem to me.

"I don't need a knife. I like the one I already have. You have sponsors?" I ask with a hint of a whine to my voice. I knew I didn't have sponsors. I haven't gotten a gift that floats down with a silver parachute. No one wanted to help a little girl who didn't even have the slightest chance of winning. Not fair…

Glitch looks at me pityingly. She knows what the answer will be, but she asks the question anyway, "Yeah, you don't?" I shake my head. "Don't worry, you will get some, you already have three kills to your name, even though you're twelve, and there are only nine tributes left." Those kills are mine? I didn't think I would get credit. What about the girl killed by the alligator, who gets points for her death? I hear two cannon fires. My inhumane logic about the credit for killing was disrupted.

Glitch and I jump into super sensitivity mode. Who died? "Make that count seven tributes." I say grimily, with my bow raised, ready for attack at any moment. Glitch as two of her knives, one in each hand.

"I wonder who that was…I didn't hear a scream, so, they probably weren't near. Either that or they were killed quickly. I doubt Careers would do that. They like dramatic shows, to make sure the Capitol is enjoying what they are seeing. So I think it's safe to stay up here." How does she know what the Careers like? Then again, they seemed to be the type to take part in torture.

I release my grip on my bow, and set it to my side, not completely ready to release it entirely. Glitch returned her knives to their holder, now that she has assured herself that there is nothing to be alarmed about.

Glitch looks around the forest one more time, just to assure that there were no threats in our area. She then reaches into her backpack and takes out two, ripe oranges. She tosses one to me. I reach up to grab it as a natural reflex just before it starts to tumble to the ground. "Don't bother peeling of the outer shell; it won't kill you and you need all the energy you can get." I nod. I didn't know you were supposed to peel the shell. I've never had an orange before. They were considered treats in District 9. I may have had a decent life, but I didn't get to have treats like that.

I sniff the fruit before I taste it. I have this weird thing in my mind that if something smells bad, it also tastes bad. The sent smells sweet, with a touch of what I had been told is citrus. Satisfied that it isn't smell completely terrible, I take a big bite out of the orange. The outer shell tainted the sweet-sour flavor to it. But it was delicious none the less. I smile in delight, like a little kid with a lollipop.

"What? Never had an orange before?" Glitch says in a joking manor. Her being from District 11, she probably has had oranges plenty of times before.

"No." I say with a blank and innocent face.

Glitch's face is filled with surprise. Then it narrowed into suspicion, almost like she thought I was lying, or trying to play a trick on her. She raised an eyebrow as she asked, "Really? Not even in the Capitol?"

I shrug. "I only ate food that I was familiar with there." It's partly because I didn't trust the food, and partly because I didn't want to get used to it, and then be thrown into an arena where I would survive on alligator and uncooked bird egg.

Glitch is trying, but not succeeding, to suppress a laugh. "What?" I demand.

"Nothing, you just remind me of my twelve-year-old sister, she is so picky." I decide to ignore the part about me being picky.

"You have a sister?" in the short time that I have known her, I always pictured Glitch as an only child.

"Yeah, she is my only sibling, as of now." As of now? I figure I shouldn't ask…

"Let me guess, her name is Lime." I figured that that would be a joke. Lemons and limes seemed to go together. I was not expecting it to be her real name.

"Wow, how did you know that? You must be really good at guessing games." With that we both crack up laughing. You could probably hear us from a mile around. Once we realized this, we each clamped a hand over the others mouth, which made us laugh even harder. We sat there on that tree branch, for close to twenty minutes, quietly laughing, and eating our oranges.

By some miracle, we were able to stop laughing once we finished eating, and regain the serious mood that we had before. I would miss the joking manner. "So, while we are on the subject of names, you want to tell me how you know the names of the Careers?" That question had pounded in the back of my mind, demanding not to rest until it had an answer.

She looks at me startled. "Oh. There isn't much of a story. On the first day of training they saw me throwing knives. They introduced themselves. They said that they were going to team up; they thought that I had skill, and that they would like me to join with them. They said that they were going to take out the weaker ones first. Put on a nice little show to keep those at the Capitol entertained. I refused their offer. Demetri asked me why. I told him that I had already formed an alliance. Then he asked with whom. I said that it was none of his business. That's was right before I asked if you wanted to pair up with me." Interesting. I wonder who else they asked. I also wonder who else refused there offers.

"You could have teamed up with anyone though, so why me?" She could have teamed up with anyone, she had skill, both with weapons and with survival. There were tons of tributes that were stronger, and had much more skill than me. Why the scrawny little twelve-year-old that could barely hold a weapon?

"I could tell that your mentor didn't tell you any strategy, you looked clueless standing there, you were one of the tributes the Careers would count as weak, and I wanted to help you. And maybe, you remind me of my sister. I don't want you to get hurt. I would feel as if it were my fault. Also, you proved to be good with weapons. And very smart." She looked at me guiltily. I have a feeling she wasn't telling me the whole story.

"Oh. Wait, were you lying when you said that your mentor wasn't paying attention to you?" That would explain why she did amazing on her interview. But then I remember what Tannor said about the mentor refusing to train her.

"No. I had a strategy planed out before I even boarded the train, though." Wow, I hadn't even thought past the Opening Ceremony on the train. I hadn't even managed to get my head past the fact that I was not coming back then.

"Did you have to change your strategy once you teamed up with me?" I ask, guilt seeming to seep into my voice as I did so.

"Yeah." She answered in a disappointed tone. My shoulders slouched. Now I felt as if I messed with her chances of survival. What would have happened if she just teamed with Tannor?

"What about Tannor? What's his story?" Her features darkened. I got scared, I thought that maybe she might lose her temper and throw me off the tree. I prepared to run in my head. The adrenaline forming around my body would be enough to give me a head start.

She didn't make a move to push me off the branch though. "Didn't I tell you not to ask?" Her tone was tinted with anger, but she was trying to cover it.

I tried to explain. I didn't want her to tell the story so much now as I wanted her to not be mad at me for the rest of the day, "Yeah bu-" She cut me off.

"Then don't ask. Come on we wasted about four hours; we could be more than a mile away from here by now." Ok. So I guess Tannor is a touchy subject. She picks up her pack. I pick up mine. We both stand up. She takes out her knife and ready's it to throw.

"Take out your bow and follow me. If you see potential food; shoot it. If you see a tribute; shoot them. If you see a threat; shoot it. We will retrieve the arrows afterwards. You really don't want to lose them. You only have twelve." Glitch's almost ever present grin has faded at this point. Her features were matured by stress. I felt as if I were just an annoying kid that was tagging along.

I nod in agreement, to let her know that I understood. The commands had brought fear seeping into me. We started through the trees; I kept scanning for threats or prey. We saw some birds around five' o clock. They were the same birds that I stole eggs from before. I was only able to shoot down one. It was kind of small though. Glitch told me not to worry, that I would get better with practice. She seemed to have lightened up once we started moving, almost as if the trees calmed her.

Glitch cleaned out the bird of all meat with one of her knives and started a fire with two rocks that she had found when we had climbed out of the trees to retrieve the bird. That's where we we're now. On the ground, away from the safety of the trees, I was pacing around uncomfortably. She took a piece of bark, placed the strips of meat on them and started to cook. "What if someone sees the fire?" I ask urgently, scanning the woods for signs of intruders.

"The sun is still up. It's not giving off smoke. You would have to have heat vision to spot this fire." With that, her grin returns. My head bends down in embarrassment Maybe my ignorance amuses her.

I hear an alligator thrash in the distance. My slouched head rises up as I remember what I had needed to do on the second day. "Oh, that reminds me," I reach into my backpack and pull out the alligator meat "Can we cook this too? It's alligator. I got it the second day in the arena." Glitch's face lights up.

"Yeah, we can, if it hasn't gone bad. I hear it taste like chicken." She lets out a laugh. I stare at her as if she was insane. She noticed my look. "It's an inside joke between me and Lime." She started laughing. I smiled, I don't know the reason why, but Glitch's laugh seems to be contagious. I hand over the alligator and she gives me the strips of the bird. I take one to eat. I wrap the rest in my cloth. As she cooks the alligator, I munch on the bird. Once she finishes, she gives me the strips I wrap that in the cloth as well, then we ascend into the trees again.

We keep moving for about two hours after, then we settle in a tree much like the one we were in last night. I noticed the air was cooler then it was before. It was dark outside, so maybe that was the explanation for the lower temperature. Glitch offered me her sleeping bag. She said that we could both fit in it, and that it was a special material that reflected body heat. I took her offer. The only problem was that both of us couldn't fit in it, so she said that we would alternate nights using it. I would have it tonight, and Glitch would have it tomorrow. So on like that. Right after that issue was settled, the Capitol's symbol was shined into the sky.

The anthem started to play. "Ready to see who died this morning?" Glitch asked nervously. Something about the tone of her voice told me that she did not want to know.

My breathing is heavy. "Yeah, who do you think it is?" I thought back to Blake. I haven't talked to him since we were in the training center. Even then it was only to ask me to pass the salt.

"Hopefully, someone we don't know." I turned my head to the side to look at her.

"Wait, don't we want it to be someone we don't know? That way we don't have to kill them?" Glitch looks at me and met my eyes, her expression was in such a way as if I just told her to jump out of the tree. Then her face softens, once she realizes my logic.

"I guess…but if we don't win, it would benefit our families most if they win." I had a feeling she was talking about Tannor, not Blake. I don't have time to assure her that one of us would definitely win. When I say one of us, I mean Glitch. But the faces flash before I can tell her.

The faces were those of the girl from District 7, and the girl from District 8. They must have teamed up, and were ambushed, or simultaneously destroyed each other, since their cannons fired at practically the same time. Glitch lets out a sigh of relief, then catches herself.

"It's Glisten and Stella. Glisten was District 7, and Stella was District 8. They decided to team up on the first day. They offered me to join their team. They, unlike the Careers, were really nice. It is a shame that they died. I knew they would have to, but it is still sad. You would have liked them." She looked down grimly.

"You get a lot of offers to join teams." Glitch laughs. "Do you know who is left now?" Glitch pauses for a moment, closes her eyes and starts to count on her fingers.

"There's Demetri, Alec, and Allia. Um…me, you, Blake, and Tannor, that's seven. There is one more. I can't remember." I could. I remember. On the first day at the training center I had been fascinated by their hair. I didn't know hair could be red. I had never seen TV in color before I came to the capitol, and no one had red hair in District 9.

"It's the boy tribute from District 5. I remember because he had red hair. I haven't seen him in the sky yet."

"Oh, yeah, how could I forget Mason?" She laughed. I'm seriously starting to wonder if she knows everybody's name. "On the first day, remember how I was wearing white?" I nod. "Mason mistook me for an Avox. He walked up to me and was like 'Can you go up to my room and give this to my mentor, level 5' and he handed me a slip of paper. So I said 'I'm not an Avox' and his face grew as red as his hair. He was stuttering 'uh…uh…sorry….uh…it's just…uh…you're wearing white, and…uh…' once I saw the conversation was going nowhere, I stopped him. 'It's ok, really. Here's your paper.' And then, he just walked away. He didn't even make eye contact with me after that. He was so embarrassed, and stuttered so much." She let out another laugh once she finished, and I joined her this time, now knowing what was so funny.

Once our laughter faded into the night, I asked the one part of the story I didn't understand. "What's an Avox?" I had seen people walking around in all white; they never talked to me though. I hadn't paid them much mind.

Glitch looked at me like I was stupid. "Avox: traitor to the country. They work as servants, and they have their tongue cut out so they can't talk." I nod in understanding. The idea of someone cutting out my tongue disturbed me. Glitch turns over and goes to sleep. I soon follow.

Once again, I dream of falling. I was really getting tired of this dream by know. I was, once again, watching this time. I could make out that it was a teenage girl falling, but that was it. Once again, I woke when the cannon fired, after the figure landed on their neck. It was completely silent. I could only barely hear the harmonic sound of bugs. The sun was just rising. Glitch wasn't beside me though.

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Yay! I finally wrote a chapter longer than two thousand words! *Beaming with self-accomplishment* Anyway, enjoy the chapter, and do tell what you think. Thanks for reading :D


	8. Chapter 8: The Truth

Disclaimer: I still don't own the Hunger Games...

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The absence drove me into near hysteria. I had to prevent myself from screaming her name. My hair was escaping from my ponytail. My heart rate was escalating. If I could see myself, I would probably look crazed. I looked to the ground. There wasn't anyone there. If she died you would have heard the cannon fire, I told myself, and I would have heard a scream. Her backpack was still there, right where she left it, so I assume she didn't ditch me. After ruling out many of the possible scenarios that ran in my head at first, I convince myself to wait in the tree for a while, to see if she just left to get something. She would probably come back soon.

I take a look at my surroundings, in an attempt to calm my nerves. We were in the cypress forest part of the arena. Cypress trees are nearly impossible to climb, because the branches don't start until fifty feet up. Our tree was easy enough to climb up, but we could easily jump to the cypress trees. We would be able to slide down those if we needed a quick escape. There were also more of those weird trees with the thick branches, like the one that we were in now. They were easy enough to climb and they could support the weight of most of the tributes. Even with that risk factor, we should probably stay in this area of the arena. Compared to here, I feel vulnerable in the mangrove forest section of the arena, because those trees don't make it up that high.

Ten minutes later, Glitch hops back to the tree, carrying something in each hand. I let out a sigh of relief. I had been incapable of calming myself. At least my heart rate returned to normal. She didn't ditch me. She lands on the branch and holds out her arms, offering the content. "Go ahead and take one, I'm not sure what type of bird there from, but I don't think it will kill us." She takes no notice of what was left of my hysterical state of being.

I reach out and take one of the eggs. It looks like the same type that I had earlier in the game. I poke a hole in it and suck out the center. Glitch watches me do so, and she doesn't try to stop me. Once she realizes that it doesn't kill me, she does the same. Once we clean out the insides, and throw the shells back down to the ground. It makes me think of all the food that we have at our disposal. "What about the bird and alligator? How long will that last?" Glitch takes a moment to think before responding.

"I don't know… a few days, maybe. A week, if we are lucky." A week of food, hopefully we will be out of here by then. I don't want to think of how, rather it be dead or alive.

I think of how she said it would only last a week if we were lucky. "We got selected to be in the Hunger Games, out of the hundreds of others that could have been chosen. I don't think that luck will ever be in our favor." I point out. Luck will never and has never been in my favor, I'm not so sure about Glitch. Maybe this was her first time being unlucky.

"Well then, if luck won't be with us, let's hope the odds will be ever in our favor." Wait, aren't odds and luck the same thing? I thought it was.

I scrunch my eyebrows together in confusion, and squint my eyes. "But that's the same thing." I say annoyance ever present in my voice.

Glitch laughed. "My point exactly. It just sounds more sophisticated." As she says this she makes her back more erect and points up her chin, to mimic the posture of some of those at the Capitol. As if they were sophisticated.

I take in her act of trying to act proper, "Oh, yes, my terrible mistake, apologies for that. Because when you talk of an event that involves killing twenty-three other children in such a barbaric way, you need to sound sophisticated about it." Glitch and I laugh in unison at that, whether it is from the sophistication or the truth of the statement, I will never know. You just have to laugh at life sometimes, and this was the easiest way to do so.

Glitch seems to recover from her laughing fit, and rolls her eyes. Probably something she intended on doing originally, but couldn't due to uncontrollable laughter. "Come on, let's go."Glitch attempted to usher me up, but I remained seated.

"Why can't we stay here? Make it our base camp. Most of the other tributes have one, and this tree is comfortable." It didn't seem like a bad idea to me, and we were traveling in semi-circles anyway. When I started, I was going away from the cornucopia. Glitch suggested that we should keep an equal distance away from the cornucopia. In case we became desperate for supplies.

Glitch let out a sigh. "I guess we could. We have enough food. No one is chasing us. Why not?" She looked up toward the canopy of the branches, probably to see the position of the sun in the sky. Her eyes bulged and her mouth dropped. "Oh, wait I just found a reason. Trackerjackers!" She pointed to the branch above my head. Sure enough, there was a nest swarming with the mutated creation of the capitol. One sting by them and you will suffer horrible hallucinations or, the more likely possibility, death.

I don't know my exact reaction, but it was probably close to what Glitch's had been. How had we not noticed that earlier? And why haven't they attacked us? I slowly rose up, careful not to rustle any branches or make any noise. I was being cautious, even though we had stayed there all night, making loads of noise, and they didn't bother us.

Only once risen did I dare make a sound. "Yeah, I changed my mind. Let's get out of here!" We took of sprinting in the trees. Well, I would call it sprinting, but we were jumping as well, so I'm not sure if that is the proper term. We were going fast though, adrenaline rushing through our bodies, and we were also making tons of noise. It was surprising that no one bothered to find us and chase us. We didn't want to slow, incase that the Trackerjackers were on our tail.

After a while Glitch started to slow her pace. I, following her, had to do the same in return. Shortly after, Glitch stopped to a complete halt. So did I. She looked behind her, and saw that nothing was there. "Ok, I don't hear or see them. We should probably keep moving though, just to be sure. We can be quieter now." I nod, to breathless to do otherwise.

What seemed to be about one-hundred trees later, we came to a tree much like the one we were just at. Except it lacked the Trackerjackers nest; that suited us just fine. None of the mutants had followed us, and the whole thing went by so quick that it didn't even seem real. We were able to rest in peace though, since the potential danger of dying had been evaded. We were still breathing heavily from the event.

Between gasps of air I managed a question, "Ok, how did we not notice the giant Trackerjacker's nest last night? I mean, it was right above our heads."

Glitch held up her hand, fingers clamped into a fist. As she listed reasons, she rose her fingers in a dramatic show. "It was dark. We weren't expecting it. We were tired. We were being loud, blocking out other noises." She let her hand plop back down onto her lap. I have to admit, those are some pretty good reasons. "I wonder why they didn't kill us."

"Perhaps it's because we didn't kill them?" Trackerjackers attack those who attack them first. Sometimes they have been known to attack when people are close to the nest. We have stories like those back in District 9. People who chop down a tree, just to have a nest be in it. The stories are from the people who come to investigate what happened to the person. I'm not so sure if those stories are completely true, but they seem plausible enough.

Glitch sniffs out of her nose. "Oh, yeah, the power of Karma, I almost forgot." I don't know what Karma is, but I don't want to ask. I don't want Glitch to think I'm stupider than she already does. It probably isn't even that important. I reach into my pack and bring out some alligator bits. I hand one to Glitch, and she snatches it without even looking at me.

Silence enveloped us. We were leaning against the trunk, snacking on alligator bits. The only sound is that of the birds distant chirping, the background of bugs buzzing and the occasional thrash of water as an alligator turns quickly. Most would find it peaceful and serene. It is driving me insane. I feel like breaking the quiet. "Hey, you were right, this does taste like chicken." It was true, one time I did have chicken, and this taste distinctly like it. As far as I can remember.

Glitch snorted, and almost choked on alligator. That made me laugh. When she noticed that I was laughing at her, she punched me in the shoulder. Not hard, but in a joking manner. I wasn't expecting it though, so I was thrown off-balance and had to catch myself on the trunk. "It's not funny. Anyway, I was thinking about telling you the joke, but I don't think I will now." She turns away from me in a dramatic show, with her arms crossed, and head up.

"Awe, I really wanted to know what the big deal about it was."I say sarcastically. I think back to the interview when I was asked who was supporting me back home. "So, what do your parents think your chances of survival are?"

Glitch looked at me quizzically, "Well that was one of the most random questions I have ever heard. Anyway, they think I'm clever. They said before I left that they were going to put all their money on me. My parents aren't ones to gamble loosely. They, if I wasn't chosen, probably would put their money on Tannor."

"Will you please tell me the story of Tannor?" I say in the most babyish, innocent, whining voice I can muster. Glitch rolls her eyes.

She takes a deep breath, probably to buy her time while she thinks of a proposition. She then says, "Ok, I'll tell you. But first, you have to answer my questions about you." I sigh in a very sarcastic, annoyed manner, and Glitch grins with a look of success.

I then turn up my nose in a snobbish style, "Fine, what is the information that you thirst for my liege?" I always wanted to say that. I read it in an old book once, and it sounded so cool.

Glitch raises an eyebrow and tries to suppress a fit of oncoming giggles. "Liege?"

"Yeah, I read it in a fairy tale book. It was what the knight said to the king. I always wanted to call someone that." I think back to the worn and faded pages of that book. Hayven would read it to me sometimes before I would go to bed, well that was before I could read.

Glitch shook her head in disapproval. "You, my friend, are an odd child. Ok, first question, District 9 is logging, right?" I thought that was common sense. It might be leading to her next question though.

"Yup." I love to say yup. It is just so unintelligent sounding and it has a cool sound to it. My father always scorns me when I say it though. Bet he is radiating fury right now. Unless they have the cameras on other tributes.

"So, is that why you're like a squirrel monkey when you climb trees?" I don't know what a squirrel monkey is but I'm guessing it's good at climbing trees. I notice that I do not know about many things. I pay attention in school, but they just don't tell you this kind of information. All they tell you is useless things like how to add and subtract.

"Yeah, I guess. I climb a lot in my free time. There is nothing much to do in District 9." I'm often scolded when I'm fond in trees instead of playing with friends. Not just by my father, but other people too. They think I'm weird and anti-social. Now what on Earth would give them that idea?

"Don't you have any friends to play with?" It hurts me to answer this one. I haven't had any real friends since Hayven was alive. And I've been starting to question whether they would even be considered my real friends.

"No." I say with a grim look of self-pity on my face. I don't really care that I have no friends, but that was the only way I knew how to react when I told someone.

"Awe…that's so sad. What about your family? Don't you do things with them?" Never mind. This one hurts more. I guess I have to tell her though. If I want to find out about Tannor. I'm starting to wonder if it's worth it.

"My mom and brother are dead. My dad takes care of me; rather I take care of my dad. He is pretty cool; he doesn't care what I do most of the time. He just leaves me alone. Unless I am doing something that is extremely dangerous."

"Like fighting to the death in an arena infested with alligators?" Glitch says this with a ridiculous artificial grin plastered on her face. I try to maintain a straight face. It isn't that hard after having to talk about my mother and Hayven, unearthing my most unpleasant memories.

"Yup, exactly like that." I say in a bland voice, careful to not show any emotion.

Glitch grinned, there was a twinkle in her eye. "Yeah, my parents would start to care at that point too." I would sure hope so. They would be pretty bad parents if they didn't care.

"Will you tell me the story now, please?" I say in the same voice I used earlier. The last response she gave me didn't leave room for me to answer a question so I figured that I could ask now.

Glitch rolled her eyes, but began her story anyways, "Sure. Where should I begin…oh, I got it." She looks at sort of an angle, with a distant glint in her eye. I've noticed that she does this whenever telling a story. "Ok, well back in District 9, Tannor was my boyfriend, believe it or not. I myself still can't believe I went out with that idiot. We broke up the day before the reaping. I just left the orchard, and I saw him talking to Lime. She was crying and had a worried look on her face. He said 'You are such a baby. Twelve-year-olds never get picked for reaping.' Shows what a genius he is."

She looked at me unsure whether to smile or frown. She did neither and continued with her tale. "'You should worry about your sister; she has twenty-five entries because you are too scared to take the tessera.' Then he shoved her into the dirt. She wasn't hurt, but when she got up, she was crying even more than before. She ran home and hid under her bed. It took hours to coax her out.

Anyway, I walked up to Tannor. He was all 'Oh, there you are' like he was trying to be cool and act like nothing happened. He leaned forward to kiss me, and I punched him in the gut. While he was leaned over I kicked him in… well let's just say I kicked him I a sensitive spot for boys." I giggled. "The next day he tried to apologize, but I wouldn't hear it. You can mess with me, but not with my little sister. And later that morning we were both pick to be tributes. Some luck that was.

The worst part was when we had to say goodbye. My little sister came in with my mom and dad. She blamed the whole thing on herself. She said she should have taken the tessera. I told her it wouldn't have made a difference. I hated to see her so upset. I told her never to let that idiot Tannor push her around. She said he wouldn't because I was the one who was going to come home. I told her that even if I didn't, she couldn't let it affect her. She had to carry on." I waited a few minutes. Then I realized she wouldn't continue, she had told the story of Tannor. The next part was between her and Lime.

I pause for a second, trying to think up a response to her story. "So, your sister is your only sibling?" I knew what the answer would be. I just didn't want to go straight into my next question.

"Um, yeah, as of now. I had an older brother, but, he got entered into the Hunger Games a few years back. Obviously, he didn't make it." Now that was something I could personally relate to.

"Which one?" Glitch paused, as if she wasn't sure she should answer.

"8th." This I was not expecting. Was her brother really in the same Game that my brother was in? I remember the final contestants in that game were District 1 girl, and…District 11boy. Her brother made it to the final stage. Another realization settles in.

_I ran up to the ratty old worn couch and climbed up. I remember sitting in my mother's lap. I was watching the black and white TV that was placed in corner the living room. The gong had rung. Contestants ran, either away or towards the cornucopia. It focused on several others, but finally came to rest on my brother. Hayven went straight to the cornucopia. He picked up some axes along the way. He was cut off by a large boy with dark skin, brown eyes, and hair. He was holding a spear. My brother raised his axe to throw, but the boy was faster. The spear entered my brother's heart. A gush of blood flooded out my brother's mouth. I knew it was over. So did my mother._

_My mother screamed, lifted me off her lap and ran from the house, tears flooding from her eyes. 'Mom' I had called and started to run after her. I barely made it a foot. My father held me back. I was kicking, crying, screaming and thrashing. My father had only a few tears run down his face. I looked back to the tattered black and white TV. The boy retrieved his spear; as he did, he seemed to mouth 'sorry'._ _Sorry wasn't enough though. It was never enough._

Her brother killed my brother. I look at her in sheer terror. She knew that I had figured her out. I knew why she teamed up with me. She felt guilty about what happened to my brother. "I'm sorry. He told me, before he left, that he was going to try not to hurt anyone. He told me he was going to come home. Once he killed your brother, I-I left the house. Retreated to the orchard. I couldn't watch. I was so mad at him." A tear fell down her face. She was struggling not to completely brake down. "Can you ever forgive me?"

"No." I answer blankly. Glitch nods and gets up to leave, the treat of tears trying to burst free was even closer. I grab her arm. "I can't forgive you because you didn't do anything wrong. All you have done is: been nice to me, and save me from dying about a gazillion times. I can't say the same for your brother, though." Glitch lets out a weak laugh and hugs me. I don't flinch; or even try to fight. I don't feel like she is going to hurt me know. I know she doesn't want me to die. For the first time in my life since my brother died, I feel safe. Which I find is kind of ironic since I'm fifty feet high in a tree, in an arena where there are six other teenagers trying to kill me.

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Later that night Glitch and I were settled in the tree. Tonight Glitch gets the sleeping bag. She gave me her jacket as a consolation, so I had two to wear. We see the symbol of the Capitol flash in the sky, and the anthem starts to play. There aren't any faces in the sky tonight. I hope the capitol isn't getting too bored. "No one died. That's good. I think. Night." Then Glitch drifts off to sleep. How awesome would it be to drift to sleep so easily? I look up at the stars. I wonder if you can see the stars when you're dead. I hope so, I love the stars. I fall asleep, nestled next to Glitch who is warm in her sleeping bag.

I dream of falling. Only this is the worst one yet. I'm not falling. I can recognize who is though. I watch Glitch fall as the branch snaps below her, unable to support her weight. I reach out to grab her but I'm too far away. My dream state can't reach her. I see her neck crack and hear the cannon fire. I bolt awake my brow drenched in cold sweat. I look to my side, still shaken from my dream. Glitch is just waking up beside me. I hear a splash in the distance.

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Just so you know, this chapter is unusually long for me. School starts exactly one week from today, for me. So, I'm going to post two chapters today. Thanks for reading. Thanks to all that have reviewed. Tell me what you think of this chapter.


	9. Chapter 9: The Nightmare

Disclaimer: As I have said with the past chapters, I do not own the Hunger Games.

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I hear the splashing again, closer this time. At this point I'm pretty sure that it is a person, but I can always have a distant hope that it might be otherwise. I'm about to tell Glitch, in case she has yet to notice the impending threat, but she bolts out of her sleeping bag, and quickly shoves it in her backpack, then raises the pack to her back. I sit and watch this, but I'm not shocked at the speed in which she accomplished this task. At this point, I just regard that as her regular pace. She readies one of her knives. I quickly pull my pack onto my shoulders. I take my bow and load an arrow. "Any chance the splashing will just be an alligator?" I ask with false hope that my unpleasant theories would be destroyed.

Glitch shakes her head. "Unless gators have evolved over night to walk on two feet, it's highly unlikely. We should probably move out, they might not be searching for us in particular, but once they see us they probably won't hesitate to attack. We are pretty easy to spot in the trees. Our clothes don't blend in. Stupid Gamemakers, making us were nonstrategic clothes."

I look down at my red shirt. It was splattered in mud, and slightly faded, but it would still be easy to spot if you were looking for it in the trees. I nod in agreement, and we start to move. The splashing continues, it is approaching slowly, like the person is confused on where they are, not wanting to get lost and searching for familiar landmarks. Or they are moving slowly because they are searching for someone. I wonder what the chances are that the person chasing us isn't actually chasing us. Then again, it's best not to take any chances at all. After ten minutes of running, the splashing stops. So does Glitch after a few minutes. I'm far enough behind her this time. I'm able to stop without losing my balance.

Glitch looks around, searching for any hints of red in the trees. Glitch leans close and whispers loud enough so I can hear her, but not so loud as to alert anyone of where we were, "Maybe we weren't being chased. Maybe the person was running from an alligator or snake or something. Hmm, we can rest here for a while I guess. We can't let our guard down, so keep your weapons ready. I'm hungry. We can eat some of that chicken, I mean alligator." I silently giggle to myself, careful not to make any sound that would echo through the forest. I don't want whoever was there to realize that we are above them, in case they didn't already know that.

I sat down on the branch with my bow still in my hand. I reached into my backpack and took out strips of alligator. I handed one to Glitch, and took one for myself. We were in a cypress tree, surrounded by other cypress trees. We were maybe fifty-feet high. No one could climb up and get us. They can still throw their weapons at us, I thought in my head.

We decided to move to separate branches; these weren't as study as the tree we were at before. So Glitch hopped to a branch to my right. I had my bow in my left hand and my alligator in my right. We nibbled on the gator strips in silence. Then we heard a splash. Glitch reached across the gap between the branches, grabbed my arm and dragged me to my feet. I dropped what was left of my meat, but not my bow. We took off running, again.

There was only one person; the splashing was the only sound of its kind. Maybe the Careers decided to split, since there were so few left. They might be hunting us each solitarily. Something deep in my head told me that wasn't likely.

The splashing was closer this time though. It was moving towards us faster, like they were no longer confused on where to go. They were hunting, and whoever it was, they were going to catch up to me and Glitch fast. I didn't want to admit it, but they were much faster than us.

The splashing was almost directly below us. I look behind me. I still couldn't see who it was yet. The cypress trees were still too thick. I look back in front of me. My eyes bulge and adrenaline rushes through my body. I duck at the last moment. I let out a delayed high-pitched squeal, and skid to a stop. I was almost hit by a thick branch of one of the other cypress trees. Glitch turns and sees what happens. She looks below her and all around, and quickly says "Oh, sorry about that, you want me to warn you next time that happens? So we don't lose any more time?" She is talking so fast I can only guess at what she is saying, I nod in response. "Sorry, again, I thought that you were paying attention."

With that issue clarified we started to run again. We had lost time, and most of the little lead we had. I knew I would probably see the person if I turned around this time. I was still a bit shaken from my encounter with the branch, so I don't risk it. I continue to resist the urge to look down until I hear that the splashing is directly below me. No point in trying to run, so I finally look down. I'm not surprised when I see the pursuer is directly below us. I am surprised to see a boy with red hair.

I can still easily recollect the memories from the distant past once known as safety. Therefore, I remember this boy in the training center. On the first day, before Glitch asked me to team up, I watched what the other tributes were good at. The events were still clear in my mind. He was terrible at everything long distance. He only excelled at close combat, mainly with a sword. I sigh with relief. I didn't have to run any more. Even if he meant to hunt us, he couldn't hurt us in the trees. I stop right before I jumped to the next branch. Glitch didn't though. She kept running. And when she landed on the branch, it was too thin, and it couldn't support her weight. It snapped, and that sound seemed to ring through the forest as loud as a gunshot. And the event that followed was just as painful as if a bullet had hit me.

When you fall, time slows, and then speeds up. When you watch someone fall, everything slows down. I ran forward to grab Glitch and save her, but I might as well have been moving through molasses. Even if I was able to move fast enough, she was still too far away. I couldn't save her. All I could do was watch as she tumbled down like a rag doll, with her limbs limply hitting branches.

I think there are three types of time. Earth time, that would be the one that most pay attention to, it is the standard measure of time that people use. Universal time, that would be considering how quickly you can get somewhere in a certain time. Then there is mental time. That is the one that I was paying attention to at the moment. It is the speed at which your brain thinks everything is moving. Everyone's mental time is different from the others.

It took Glitch hours to fall. In Earth time, that would equal about five seconds. In the moments before someone dies, some say that the person sees their life flash before their eyes. Since Glitch was moving so fast, I think that the saying was true in her case. She kept falling for what seemed like forever. Half of me urged it to stop, the other half knew that once it did, Glitch would probably be dead. She landed on her neck. I stood there in total and complete shock. For a small second, I held the hope that she was still alive. That hope was soon crushed. A cannon fired. My nightmare had become reality. If only I told her. Maybe then she would have been more careful. Or maybe she would have laughed at you, says the voice in the back of my mind, in an attempt to comfort me.

"Glitch!" I screamed at the top of my lungs. My voice sounded hoarse, like how it did after hours of screaming. But I only screamed that once. Or did I? I scanned the side of the tree frantically, looking for a way down. The only option was to grab onto the trunk and slide down. That or fall. I really didn't want to follow in Glitch's footsteps on that one.

I climbed down to the lowest branch that would support my weight; it was still forty feet off the ground. I slung my bow back over my shoulder. I took a deep breath and wrapped my arms around the thin trunk. My fingers were barely able to interlace each other. My head started to throb. Before I could convince myself otherwise, I jumped off the branch. It was sort of like falling, only slower. It was also more painful, at least, more painful than the time that I fell forty-feet when I was nine. The bark stung and dug into my arms as I slid down the tree, cutting deep into my arms. I didn't care though; I needed to get to Glitch. The mental time of my fall was forty seconds. The Earth time was twenty.

Even when I had a controlled fall, I still had a hard impact with the ground. Once I landed on my feet, I fell backwards onto my back. I rolled over and sprinted to where Glitch's body lay. She was broken, just lying there, with her neck at an unnatural angle. I crawled over and sat beside her, I lifted her head into my lap. Her hair made a pillow on my lap. "Glitch." I breathed, still unable to grasp the fact that she was dead. The grin had disappeared from her face, only a shadow of its presence remained. Her eyes were closed, which I was grateful for, because when people die with their eyes open it freaks me out. She looked asleep. I wish I didn't have to move, I could stay there forever until Glitch would wake up again. But that was impossible, because Mason was standing there, a yard away, his sword half drawn.

Tears were streaming down my face. I didn't care what happened. This wasn't the first time that I've seen someone die in the arena. This isn't even the first time that someone I cared about died. But it was the first time that someone I cared about died while I could have helped them. If only I was faster. If only I had seen that coming, if I had warned her. I look up to Mason. "What are you waiting for?" My voice is barely audible; it seems foreign, even to me.

Mason stares at me wide eyed. "W-what?" He stutters. He asks not because he didn't hear, but because he didn't understand.

Between tears I explain to him. "You're right there; your sword is drawn and ready. I'm on the ground. I can't reach my arrows or my knife and even if I could you could stab me with your sword faster than I could shoot or stab you. So why don't you just kill me already, and get it over with, it would be a lot easier for both of us if you just hurried up!" My voice had raised an octave higher each sentence. Whether it was raising with anger or grief I did not know.

Mason puts his sword back through its sheathe. His head was shaking, with it be for shame or defiance, I will never know. "Y-your just t-twelve, I-I can't kill you. T-that would be like killing a bunny." Did he, a seventeen-year-old boy, just compare me to a weak, scrawny, little bunny? Mason shook his head again as if he were debating with himself on what to do.

He took a deep breath. "Here, you should probably take her pack. Leave the knives, unless you need them; if you don't they will be taken out of the arena for good. Then we need to clear out, so they can collect the body. I can also fix your arms, to prevent infection. Then we can find a tree, and you can be safe again. I don't think the same thing will happen to you, you're too light." He nodded once again, this time to assure himself that he had a good plan.

He took my hand and led me a yard away from where Glitch lay. He held up a finger, and raised it to me like he was lecturing me, "Stay." He commanded that of me like I was a dog. He then returned to collect things of use. I could have probably tried to run when his back was turned, but I didn't. He took the straps of Glitch's backpack and gently slid them off her broken shoulders. I slumped to the ground.

I watch, sniffling. Did he really want to help me? Or was this a trick? "Can I see your pack?" I don't answer he walks over, and tries to take it off my shoulders; I relax and it falls off, the straps brush past my arms I feel a stab of pain. I notice that they are torn and bleeding badly. So that's what he meant when he said infection will set in soon. "Thanks," He murmurs. He starts emptying the content of my pack and putting it into Glitch's. I watch in silent as he does this. Once he is done, I expect him to take the pack and run, but he doesn't, he hands it to me.

I take it from him in a rapid, sudden motion, put it on and stand up. To my surprise, it's only five pounds heavier. Mason offers me his hand. I hesitate, but take it. He leads me farther away from the body. Everything goes quiet. I look back to see Glitch's body being lifted into the hovercraft. I wish I could do something, anything. Punish the Capitol for their horrible game. I want to apologize to her. The only problem is that I won't see her until I die. More tears escape me. Mason is leading me through the trees, not saying anything and letting me morn in silence. I follow without struggle. It's not that I trust him, it's just I'm too depressed to protest, fight, or do anything to help me stay alive.

We stop five minutes later, and he lifts me up onto the roots of one of those weird trees that Glitch and I always slept in, the ones I didn't know the name of. He takes off his own pack and rummages through it. After a while, he takes out a first aid kit. At first I wonder why, then I remember that he said that he could fix my arm. "Can I see your arms?" I lift up my arms to him, he hasn't killed me yet, so why not? He bites his lip when he sees them. "It's ok; I can fix this."

He takes out some cream and rubs it on my arms. It stings, and makes me involuntarily wince. He notices. "It's supposed to sting, but I have to put it on; it keeps out infection, and after a while it will make the pain go away too." Once he finishes with that he wraps them in clean, white bandages. A satisfied smile of accomplishment spreads to his face. The bleeding had appeared to stop at least. "Ok, you should be fine. At least, I don't think you will get an infection, as long as you stay out of the water, it is extremely putrid. Well, actually, you can go in the water, just not for that long. No longer than a minute. Not that you would want to go there in the first place."

"Why were you chasing us?" My voice is barely above a whisper. I took no mind to his ramble about the water. All I heard was something about not going in for over a minute.

"I thought you were the volunteer tributes." He says, guilt evident on both his face and in his voice.

"We call them Careers." I allow a sniff to escape me. That was mine and Glitch's term. I didn't mean to tell him, but I was so used to calling them that. "Why would you chase us if you thought we were them?" I thought back to the options that Glitch gave me. We could play offence of defense. Maybe Mason was playing offence.

Mason turned serious, into a war tactic, totally-male mode. "The sooner they are out of the game, the better. They hunt in a pack. It would be better if they were out of the way; they have unfair advantages over the other tributes. They have trained for this. I thought I had them cornered. I should have known it wasn't them once I saw you in the trees. They are too fat to climb trees. I'm sorry." I could tell by the look on his face he truly was sorry. Then under his breath, "You don't deserve this. You are so young."

"It's ok. It's not entirely your fault." I put stress on the word entirely, and as I did so, I saw a grin trying to make its way onto Masons face. "Thank you, for fixing my arms." As if to prove no hard feelings, I gave him some of my alligator strips. He nodded his appreciation, but by the look on his face I could tell that he didn't need them, and then he disappeared back into the woods as if he were never there. I scanned the woods for a few minutes, watching for any movement. Then I decided he wasn't coming back after a few minutes. He probably thought I was too much trouble to form an alliance with. I would think the same if I were him.

I sat there for a few more minutes, letting my sorrow sink in and escape. It didn't take that long; I was already so used to copping with death. I climbed back into the safety of the trees. I perched in the highest branch of the tree, about ninety feet up, and took out Glitch's sleeping bag. I laid it on the branch. I sat there where I cried and felt sorry for myself until it was dark. I wasn't exactly crying for Glitch's death at that point, I was just crying for my whole unfortunate predicament.

Then stupid Capitol symbol appeared in the sky, along with the stupid anthem. That put an end to my crying. I wanted revenge against the Capitol. For taking Glitch. For taking my brother away from me. For killing so many innocent children who actually had lives to look forward to. Anger was rushing through me. Only one picture flashed into the sky that night. It was the picture of Glitch, her grin present. That calmed me back down. And after crying so much, all I needed was sleep. And sleep was what I got.

For once in what seemed to be forever, I didn't have a nightmare. I didn't dream of falling that night. I dreamt of flying, as weird as it might seem. Glitch was there, right beside me. She was laughing and joking around, same as ever. We were jumping around in trees so high they reached the clouds. We were flying through the trees. Just like birds. And the branches seemed strong enough to be titanium. Right before I woke up Glitch told me something I'll never forget. "It wasn't your fault. I was being careless. You have to win now. You have to win for both of us, everyone. Everyone who has ever died in the Games. Everyone that ever will die. Everyone who is killed by the Capitol."

I nodded. Glitch laughed. "You need to lighten up. You are way too serious for a twelve-year-old." She pushed me off of the cloud we were resting on with a joking punch. That was when I woke up. Everything was quiet, and it was early morning. Then I heard a bird chirp. I knew that there was still hope. But you can't rely on hope alone. I needed a plan though if I was going to make it out alive.

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Ok. I probably won't add another chapter until Thursday or the weekend. I've written a rough draft of the whole thing by now, but I have to look over it all about eleven times before I feel comfortable posting it. So, tell me what you think of this chapter. Thanks for reading. :D


	10. Chapter 10: Playing with Fire

Disclaimer: Still don't own the Hunger Games...

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I look to my side, and half expect Glitch to be there, lying beside me. A tear runs down my check when I see her absence, and have a painful recollection of yesterday's lamentable events. A void pit forms in my stomach. I recall my dream and I think to what dream-Glitch had told me. I needed to win for both of us. Though I might be crazy for listening to a person in a dream, I need a plan. There were two options that I knew I had. Two options that Glitch had given to me.

I could keep in the trees and stay hidden. Run away whenever I heard someone. Play defensive, as Glitch had called it. That was what we were doing before. That would be the smart thing to do. Or I could go to the Cornucopia. Glitch and I were pretty sure that is where the Careers camp was. They had the largest group of people as far as I knew. They would be the most efficient to attack, and at least if I died, I would be taking someone down with me. That would be the offensive. I couldn't decide. I needed to think.

I slowly slid from Glitch's sleeping bag, feeling that she would return if I stayed lying and that everything was a dream. But I knew that it wasn't. I slid out completely, and bunched Glitch's sleeping bag into her backpack; I realized that they were both mine now. I took Glit- or, my pack and hoisted it onto my shoulders. I took my knife and made sure it was still in my belt. I was glad to see it didn't fall out yesterday, when I slid down the tree. I took it and held it in my hand for a while. I considered using it to throw at tributes, but I only had one, and if I lost it, it would be gone for good. I took my bow, and readied an arrow. I walked to the edge of the branch and took a deep breath.

I don't know how I managed to convince myself, but I jumped. There was a horrifying moment in the air where I was sure I would fall. I cursed myself for being stupid enough to jump. A second later I felt a solid substance beneath my feet. The branch of the next tree didn't snap with my weight. I let out my lungful of air, relieved that I didn't die, and continued to move through the trees without fear, despite what happened yesterday. Almost thirty-five minutes after I started traveling, I came to a birds nest, seventy feet in a cypress tree. I wouldn't have noticed them, but I was being extremely observant. I climbed ten feet up to that height. It had three eggs. I took two of them, and climbed back down.

I continued to walk along as I sucked out the insides of the eggs. They were the same ones that I have had twice before. The ones that I had with Glitch. I'm starting to wonder if that is the only bird species in the whole arena. If there were any others, they sure were discreet. I sucked all that was in the eggshell. As I threw away the remains of the two eggshells, an idea occurred to me.

I was going to go back to the Cornucopia. Not to kill its inhabitants, but to spy. I would have a bird's eye view in the tree. If I could find what they were doing, I could easily avoid them in the arena. Or easily keep an eye on them. Maybe even get an idea to where the other tributes were. Or possibly, even get the chance to take one of them out. I still wasn't comfortable saying kill. It made me feel like a murder. You are a murderer, the annoying voice in my head replies.

It took me about two hours to get back to the Cornucopia. The trip there was dull; I didn't see anyone, and there wasn't even any alligators swimming below. I was ready to see something interesting. I sat in a tree about twenty yards from the opening, it wasn't the best view, but I could make out general shapes. Once settled on a branch sixty feet up, I saw the damage the flood on the second day had done.

It wasn't that much as far as I could see. They still had tons of supplies piled in the mouth of the cornucopia, backpacks containing who knows what, tents, medicine, and weapons. I didn't see any food or water there though. Then again, I was pretty far away. I hopped that there wasn't any food or water though, that would mean that they were living off of sponsors. Unless they could hunt…

I did see three Careers arguing. I couldn't hear what they were saying from my tree though, but they looked pretty mad. They weren't even bothering trying to cover it up. I decided to make the risky move of settling right into a tree near the opening. I jumped through the trees, attempting to make as little noise as possible. Once I was in hearing range though, I realized that being so careful was unnecessary. The Careers were completely absorbed in their argument. They wouldn't have noticed if there was a meteor shower right next to them. I settled fifty feet high in a cypress tree, right by the clearing.

"- is no point staying here! We don't have a large storage of food to protect, and we can take all of the supplies we need! There are only four other tributes, and one of them is that little girl! I doubt she can survive without Glitch's protection!" Allia yelled. Her statement hurt. They didn't consider me a threat. I'll prove them wrong. But some of the information in it was quite useful. They don't have food. The pampered lap dogs of the capitol were so used to being taken care of that it presented a huge problem. For them.

"Yeah, what do you expect to do with all of the other supplies?! Leave it here, so that the other tributes can gorge themselves with items that we fought for?! I don't think so!" Demetri did have a good point about the other tributes gorging themselves. I sure would. I wonder why they want to leave in the first place. I haven't heard an actual reason yet.

"We can take what we need and burn the rest!" I hadn't noticed that Alec was in this argument until now. Alec is siding with Allia then. Interesting.

"Burn it?! And what happens when the whole swamp gets burned down with it?!" Demetri asked in a not-so-polite manner. That would be bad for me. Not only would I be severely injured, but I would have no place to hide.

"We can then find other tributes because the cover of the trees would be gone, and they would be badly burned!" Alec said. That was stupid of him. Wouldn't he be burned too?

I'm glad I could make out Demetri's face. His mouth got wide as if he couldn't believe what he was hearing. It was ridiculous. He slapped Alec on the top of the head. Allia looks like she wants to rip Demetri's head off. "You egocentric idiot! You would be burned as well!" I cover my mouth to soften my laughter; just in case they were paying more attention then they let on to. Of all the Careers, I have to say that I like Demetri the best; he wasn't a total idiot. Key word is total.

Allia steps in at this point, and calmly explains, well, when I say calmly, I mean that she was on the verge of exploding, but she barely managed to cover that up. "We are on an island of dirt, surrounded by water. It isn't very likely that any of the trees will catch on fire as well." She at least used logic, though her logic was speculation. I didn't like it much, but I guess that she could be right. I personally wouldn't even try to risk it.

Demetri stood there, like a mad stuttering fool. He had run out of ideas. I was disappointed, I thought he would at least find something. But no, he gave in easily. Well, he didn't put up a fight. "Fine," He spat, "Have it your way! First we need to take all the supplies we need, and can carry. You know before we blow it up!" Alec and Allia nodded in agreement, smug smiles of victory spread onto their faces and started to take out weapons, extra cloths, first aid kits, water bottles, probably from sponsors, because they still had silver wrappings around them. They also retrieved a giant backpack for each of them to fill with what they need.

They worked for ten minutes, all unknowing that I sat in the tree watching them. When they finally finished after what seemed to be an eternity, Allia took all of the packs and put them around her body in a way so that she could carry them all. I didn't notice that she was so strong, those packs must have weighed thirty or more pounds each. I watched her until she stopped. Once she was a safe distance away, at the edge of the island, Demetri took out a bottle of something. I turned my attention back towards the Cornucopia. He poured it over all of the remaining supplies, with an angry look of defeat still etched on his face, and then threw the bottle on top of the stack. He then moved back to stand with Allia in the distance. Alec walked forward with a fire starter and after a few strokes, he lit the whole stack on fire. Once he was sure that he had a flame going, he quickly retreated to where the others stood.

They all seemed to take a step back as they watched it burn, almost like they were afraid that it might consume them for all the terrible deeds that they had done. I stayed still as a statue, eyes mesmerized on the gleaming Cornucopia. The fire would be beautiful, if it weren't such a threat. I prayed in my head that Allia was right, that the fire would stay on the island.

It was an unreal sight. Cornucopias are said to be a symbol of giving. The mouth of the Cornucopia wasn't giving fire; it was containing it, making sure that it didn't pose a threat to the tributes still in the arena. I watched as orange flames danced of the golden surface, making patterns on it like shadows would. Fire was gorgeous, or at least I thought so. Except when you are burnt by it, then it just seems like a monster.

After five minutes of watching the fire, it appeared to die down a bit, to a slight flame, not the raging beast that it used to be. The Careers grabbed their packs, and moved into the mangrove side of the arena. I watched as they disappeared from my view. They had probably just stayed to make sure that the fire didn't spread. I decide I should probably stay out of that area of the arena though. I learned enough from my spying mission today. Thirty minutes after they leave, so do I, the fire had died down to a warm glow, leaving the ash of the supplies lying there and I figured that none of the trees were threatened by it. After two hours of travel, I'm back at the tree that I was in that morning. There was no noise except for the occasional bird chirping, and the ever-present buzzing of the bugs.

It was almost dark, my adventure had lasted the whole day, and the temperature was getting cooler. I'm starting to think someone was messing with it. It was an unnatural temperature drop. I was glad that I had that sleeping bag to keep me warm during the night. Thank you, Glitch, I think in my head. I reach into my pack and take out the sleeping bag. I lay it on the branch, and slip inside it. Once I was settled into it, I remembered the argument between the Careers. I should probably analyze what it means.

First, they were arguing, so that meant tensions were high and they were more likely to mess up, whether it is in tracking, fighting, or defense. It also meant that they were close to ripping out each other's guts and splitting, which meant that I was one step closer to winning the games and going home. I guess I do have a chance after all.

Second, they didn't have food at the Cornucopia. That meant that at least one of them knew how to hunt, or else they would be starving to death. Probably Allia or Alec, they were from the fishing district, so they should be pretty good at that. I try to remember if there were any fish in the water, but I can't. I've spent most of my time in the arena up in the trees. That would explain the alligator's food source though. Maybe they were even hunting alligator. Or perhaps, they are relying completely on their sponsors. I knew that was what they were doing for water.

Third, they thought that I wasn't a threat. Therefore, I was probably safe from having them hunt me down and killing me. They considered me dead. That was good for me. I could sleep in peace. Maybe I could even ambush them. They would be confused, and they wouldn't be expecting someone of my stature to bother with trying to take them down. But maybe I should leave that to the others. I didn't learn anything about the other tributes though. I wonder how they are doing. I wonder what they are doing.

I hear a splash. I turn around in my sleeping bag, look down, and see it's just a juvenile alligator thrashing in the water, turning to go in the other direction. I should probably be used to that by now. Then again, it's better to be safe than sorry. I return to my original position on my back and relax. I was so tired, even though I hadn't done much. Maybe it was everything that I have seen that is making me so exhausted. Twelve-year-olds shouldn't be put through this kind of thing. Exhaustion overwhelmed me and I let my eyes slip closed for just a second.

The next thing I hear is the anthem, blasting into my semi-formed dreams. I look up into the sky and see the symbol of the Capitol, ugly as ever. I know that there won't be any faces in the sky tonight, nobody died, I didn't hear a Cannon. Hopefully the fire and today's argument was enough to satisfy the boredom of the savages that live in the Capitol. I wish I could find some way to get my revenge on them for doing all of this, make them play their own game, make them suffer as we have. But first I would have to win the Games.

I figured that I might make use of the light provided by the Capitol. I look down at my arms. I want to unwrap the bandages that are enclosed around them, to see if they are healing. I'm scared that if I do that they won't be healed, and I won't be able to wrap them as well as Mason. And maybe I was a little freaked out to see my arms shredded up. I had done what he said. I haven't gotten them wet yet. I wonder where Mason was. Did he see the fire? If he did, he was probably on the Careers tail at this moment, hunting them down.

I wonder if he had a camp set up somewhere. I don't think that there are any other tributes that are paired up. I count in my head: Allia, Alec, Demetri, Tannor, Blake, Mason, and me. Seven tributes in total, six tributes left to die. Unless the Capitol has a sudden burst of compassion and lets us all live. But I severely doubt that.

I shift my position to my side and drift into a deep slumber. That night was one of those rare nights when I didn't dream. I was just asleep one moment, and awake the next. It scares me when this happens, I feel like I missed an important passage into the next day. It was like my night was a deep void of nothingness.

When I wake from that void, I hear shouting, even scarier is that it is directly below me. I know of only one group that would be shouting at each other in the arena. I know of only one group that is formed. I know the people that own each of those voices. The Careers have entered my part of the arena.

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Um...I don't have much to say, except that school starts this week, so I won't be able to update as often. Thanks for reading, thus far. Tell me what you think. :D


	11. Chapter 11: Spying

Disclaimer: I don't own the Hunger Games...or anything that is associated to it, such as titles, characters, and whatever else is said in the copy rite.

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I was starting to wonder why the Careers haven't split yet. I was also starting to wonder why they kept arguing. It was getting pretty annoying. Also, how did they make it into this half of the arena so fast? They must have been running. Or I was in a different tree than I was yesterday, and was closer to the mangrove side. I look above, no Trackerjacker nest was looming over me. The branches look relatively the same as the one yesterday. So I figure they must have been running.

I reminded myself that they were right below me, and could spot me at any moment. I thought back to what Glitch said about the unfortunate color of our clothes. Stupid Gamemakers. At least I didn't have my jacket around my waist. The blue was harder to spot then the red. I slowly slid out of my sleeping bag, this time the reason is to make sure that I don't make any noise. My breathing was heavy because of all the anxiety. I shoved the sleeping bag into my backpack, as quickly and quietly as possible. I zipped up my jacket, concealing the last of the visible red. I readied my bow. Once all that was accomplished, I realized that they haven't even noticed my position yet. At least, I don't think they had. They were too busy yelling at each other.

From what I could tell, Demetri was arguing against Allia and Alec. Demetri had his axe, Allia had two viciously curled knives, and Alec had a sword. It looked like Demetri and Alec were injured. I wonder how. Maybe they attacked each other and were going to split up now. Why wasn't Allia injured?

I shift my position into one that I can easily move from. In the process, I looked straight down. Their backpacks were leaning against the base of my tree. I wanted to move to another branch in the tree, I couldn't shoot them well from my own, and all they had to do was look up and they would spot me. I feared that moving to a different branch would make too much noise, therefore signaling my location. All I could do is watch, and hope they are too self-absorbed in their argument to look up. At least they were yelling loud enough for me to hear.

"We can't split yet; there are still too many! You saw what happened yesterday!" So, Demetri wanted to stay together. I wonder if they ran into another tribute; that would explain the injuries. It didn't explain why Allia wasn't injured. It disproved my theory of them destroying each other. A disappointment, I rather liked that idea. I guess there is still hope that that is the case though.

Alec shook his head in disapproval. He wanted to split. "We have to; staying together is what made us get ambushed yesterday. We will give each other two days to get as far away as possible. Then everything will be fair game." So they got ambushed. Someone took my idea. So they must have run away…and that is why they made it to my portion of the arena. Ok, so I was in the same tree.

Demetri looked mad for a second, but I think that was only a cover from what his emotion really was, fear. "We can do that once there are three other tributes left. The only reason we didn't get killed yesterday was because there was three of us, and only one of him!" There was a sound of desperation in Demetri's voice. It almost made me feel sorry for him. Almost, but not quite.

I think Alec rolled his eyes, because the statement that followed had a sarcastic sound to it. "Yes, but who were the ones fighting, and who was the one trying to run away?" I would laugh at the fact of Demetri running away from a fight. But Allia wasn't injured, so you would think she was the one that was trying to run away.

Demetri sputtered his contradiction to Alec's accusation. "That stupid red head could have set up an ambush with another tribute! I was looking for more of them!" That a boy, Mason, trick those stupid Careers!

"Yes, because he had a whole army of accomplices!" Alec said, sarcasm still present in his voice. This argument was starting to get entertaining. It was funny to watch the Careers fight, that is, if I didn't know they could kill me so easily.

"How could I have known? It's better to be safe than sorry, you would have done the same thing, if you weren't attacked first!" Demetri was losing this argument. He had the same desperate plea that was present yesterday right before they burned the supplies.

"If you helped, we would have been able to kill the red head! Instead he escaped! To make it worse, he escaped uninjured!" Alec spat out the word 'uninjured' almost like he was disgusted of its presence. Good job, Mason, way to tick off the Careers. Then it occurred to me, Mason wasn't hurt. He was actually doing pretty well, if I do say so myself.

"Even if I helped that still would have happened! The boy is skilled with a sword; even though you won't admit it." I agree Mason does have skill, more than them at least. Demetri is making a comeback. Maybe they will stay together. I personally hope they split. If they do, then they can kill each other.

"Maybe so, but we wouldn't have even been found if you weren't making so much noise!" Alec's tone was rising. I could tell he was getting more and more irritated with Demetri. He was struggling to keep his temper in check. I wonder why Allia wasn't saying anything. She was just standing there, watching the show unfold. Sort of like me, I think silently in my head.

Demetri gestured to Allia. "I wouldn't be making so much noise if your ugly, stupid girlfriend didn't just carry her own freaking pack! And maybe she could have fought!" Ouch, that's got to hurt. So that is why Allia is uninjured. She didn't even fight. And Alec is getting in Demetri's face. Allia, moved forward to stab him with one of her daggers, Alec held her back. She was thrashing in his arms. Alec shoved her behind him, so he could face Demetri directly.

Alec's face was flushed with rage. "She is not my girlfriend! And don't insult her like that!" Yeah, stick to the truth why don't you. I saw the way you were looking at her yesterday. And why else would you defend her?

Demetri's look was snide. "If she isn't your girlfriend, then why do you always defend her? I bet the only reason you want to split up is so you can meet up with her afterwards, then finish me off. I'll enjoy killing her when the time comes! Just to see the look on your face!" Demetri let out an unnatural laugh that freaked me out. That was not the smartest thing to say, especially if you want to keep an alliance.

Alec lunged. Only there was no one to hold him back. Allia could have, but I don't think she wanted to. He had his sword raised. He brought it down on Demetri's neck in a single sweeping motion. The sword slid through it like it was made of butter. Demetri didn't even have time to raise his arm in defense. His body fell to the ground, shortly followed by his head. The cannon fired. I couldn't tell which had more blood coming from it, his head or his body. "I'll just finish you now." Said Alec, or at least I think he said that. It was kind of muffled because he wasn't talking as loud.

I covered my hand over my mouth, to keep my gasp from escaping. I couldn't believe what I just saw. Well, I could, I just didn't believe it happened right below me. One of the Careers had destroyed the other. I wish that Glitch had seen that, but then at the same time I'm glad that she hadn't. Alec took one pack and threw it to Allia, then he took another and put it on his shoulders. Alec took Allia's hand and led her away. I knew that I had to follow. I lifted my pack higher onto my shoulders, making sure that it wasn't going to fall off and began to follow them, as silently and quickly as I could. They weren't talking, so I didn't need to get close enough to listen.

Everything went silent; I stopped in my tracks, and didn't move a muscle. I had been counting on the noise of the forest to quiet all of my movement. I knew the hovercraft had come to retrieve Demetri's body. All I heard was my heavy breathing. I started counting my breaths…one…two…three. I think it left when I was at twenty-one. Soon after it left, the birds reclaimed their song, and the bugs started to buzz. I moved through the trees quickly now, scanning the ground for Allia and Alec. I had lost them when I had to stop.

After a few minutes, I feared that I had lost them for good. I was about to return back to the original tree, and start over. Then I spotted them sitting on a fallen log, weapons beside them, ready to use at a moment's notice. For once, I'm grateful for the audacious colors of the tribute clothing. I hop over to the tree near where they rested. Demetri doesn't have a head, says that voice in the back of my mind.

They were talking to each other in regular tones; I couldn't make out any of the words though, due to the fact I was fifty feet up in a cypress tree. They were by one of those trees with the branches that were really thick. The type that you can easily climb down. I make my way over to that tree and climb down dangerously close to where they were resting. All they had to do was look behind them and they would see my face staring at them. So I guess that it is a good thing they weren't expecting me.

"-don't need him. He was just holding us back." Alec said, oblivious to the fact that I was eavesdropping on his conversation. Holding them back from what? Killing the other tributes? Because I thought they were doing a pretty good job of that.

"Yeah, he just wanted to stay with us because he couldn't hunt. He needed the food. He probably doesn't have any sponsors. It's a good thing you came to your senses and killed him." Came to your senses? He killed him in defense of her, and she only acknowledged that as coming to your senses? This girl is insane.

Alec nods in agreement to that. "So, do you think we should split once there are three players left?" There he is, taking Demetri's idea.

"That would be smart. So we are counting the little girl as a tribute?" Alec nodded. I really wanted to strangle this girl. "You were going to let him have his way, if he hadn't insulted me?" Maybe she did care that human males were attracted to her.

"I don't like it when people insult you, Allia. I would have let him have his way if he didn't." Alright, so Alec had a heart, and was somewhat sensitive. Allia was an emotionless, cold-blooded killer thing. I'm not exactly sure if something as evil as that would qualify as a human. Then again, I'm starting to believe that human nature itself is evil. I wonder what that would make me then.

"You shouldn't care about me, maybe if you were in a different Game, and you were the victor of that. But you're not. There is only one Victor per Game. You are going to die though, so I guess I'll allow your obsession." Yeah, she is definitely not human. If a boy was defending me, I would let him. She said Alec had an obsession…I wonder if she was exaggerating.

"Fine. We should get moving." I couldn't tell by his tone if he was hurt by Allia's comment. It was plain, showing no emotion. He was either: mad, sad, or annoyed. They picked up their weapons and packs, and disappear into the forest. Once they were out of hearing range, I walked out of the tree. I didn't think that they would head back.

I stepped down to the moist, vegetation covered ground. I felt unsteady on the ground. I put my arrow back into my pack, and my bow back around my shoulder. I walked forward a bit; I tripped over a root that jutted out in front of a puddle. I caught myself from falling by grabbing onto a strand of moss with my left arm, but my right got submerged in the puddle. I got up as quickly as I could, but water had already soaked into the bandage.

I remembered what Mason had said. I wasn't in the water longer than a minute. I wasn't sure if the fact that water had soaked through the bandage would count in the time. I didn't want to take off the bandage though; I had extra gauze from my first aid kit to wrap my arm in, but I didn't trust my medical skill. I decided to leave it on. What was the worst that could happen? So I took my cloth from my back pack and used the edge of it to soak up as much of the water as possible. My arm felt weird, and it was tingling. I didn't know if it was supposed to do that.

Once I convince myself that I can't take away any more water, I moved back to the tree I was hiding in when I was eavesdropping on Allia and Alec's conversation, and went into the taller braches. I didn't want to go back to the one that I was at before. I didn't want to sleep at the site of a murder. I also didn't want to sleep in the site where a murder was discussed. I had a felling it would give me nightmares. Not like it wouldn't once I move. You simply can't forget someone dying.

I climbed into the upper branches of the tree and set off to find one just like it. After three hours of wandering, I finally found one that was perfect. It was better than all of the trees I had slept in before. There were three branches interlaced, making an almost cradle-like bed. It was sixty feet off of the ground, almost anyone could climb the tree if they tried hard enough, but they wouldn't have any reason to. The branches that led to my spot would probably only support someone of my weight. The tree branches guarded me from other's wandering eyes.

I laid my sleeping bag which I placed in the crevasse created by the interlocked braches. I fit in perfectly, like it was made especially for me…I jutted out of the sleeping bag, and examined the branches around my head. I let out a sigh of relief when I saw that there was no danger, and laid back down. I had thought that since it was perfect, the Gamemakers must have made it, and put in something that could cause me misery.

The sun was starting to fall over the horizon. Trees blocked the actual sunset, but I could see the soft, pink glow that topped the marsh. It reminded me of the way the fire reflected on the cornucopia. It reminded me of the tree-blocked sunsets at home. I didn't notice that I was crying until I had a stream of water running down my face. I lifted my hand to wipe away the water.

The sky darkens as the sun disappears. The Capitol's symbol flashes in the sky, along with the playing of the anthem. I see the non-decapitated picture of Demetri shown into the sky, smiling as if he was still alive, and he never had to take part in the games. Another death, curtsey of the Games. I try to look away before the scene of his death replays in my head I'm too late. The last image in my head before I get to sleep is that of Demetri's head falling to the ground.

It was no surprise what I dreamed of that night. I was sitting on the ground, execution style, with Allia and Alec in front of me. I was at the Cornucopia. Alec was in the background, pacing, watching the forest. Allia had her knives raised, the same ones that she had held today. "Let's remove the skin from that pretty little face of yours." Alec let out a muffled laugh behind her. She raised her knives and started to cut the skin away from the rest of my body. It was an excruciatingly painful process, like having your fingernail ripped off, only a whole lot worse. Once finished she let out a shrill laugh. She wiped her knives on my shirt, the red of the blood not making any effect on the red shirt. They ran back into the woods as if nothing had happened.

They left me lying there, scarcely breathing, and unable to move. Blood was flowing out of me, since there wasn't any skin left to hold it in. My muscles were twitching in a creepy fashion. I blacked out. The cannon fired. I woke with a start. My hands flew to my face, relieved to find that my skin was still there. Then another horror became imminent to me. One of my bandages had fallen off my arm. I didn't think it was supposed to be swollen that much. I also didn't think it was supposed to be that shade of green. And I was almost positive it wasn't supposed to have a yellow liquid dripping from it.

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School starts today! Yay! Not. So, as of today, I won't be able to post as much. But don't worry, as Mark Twain has stated, "I have never let my schooling interfere with my education." So while I learn the difference between the directrix and focus of a parabola, enjoy this chapter. Please review, I appreciate reading what people have to say.


	12. Chapter 12: Help

Disclaimer: Despite all odds, I do not own the Hunger Games.

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I look at my arm, examining the damage that is done. I thought that it would make me sick to look at it; I normally had an uneasy stomach for these things. I guess I had gotten used to these sorts of scenes. It has pus oozing out of the cuts that run down the length of my right arm. It has turned a sickly yellow color. It's twice as large as my left. I suppose that my left hasn't been infected; it is still normal sized. I should have changed the bandage, I chastise myself. I lightly touch one of the inflated cuts with my left hand. I wince. It stings, even with the slightest contact. I needed someone to help me. I didn't know anything about medicine. The infection could spread. I didn't even want to think if it could kill me. I needed to find Mason.

After much struggle, I managed to shove my sleeping bag into my pack with one arm. I wasn't hungry, but I figured that I needed to eat. I finished the rest of the bird and alligator. There was still some food, but I was going to have to hunt soon. Great. I hope that Glitch was right when she said that I would get better with the weapons. I sneezed, first once, than again. My throat was sore. I was becoming ill. Maybe your nose is just irritated by something in the air, suggest the voice in the back of my head. Maybe, but I'm pretty sure my arm isn't irritated by something in the air, I think back to myself. I needed to find Mason. He was my only hope. What was the chance that he would help me again though? He helped me the first time out of pity. I needed something to trade with him. But what did I have?

I rummaged in my pack until I found my first aid kit. I hadn't had the need to look at it until now. It had fever pills, extra gauze, tweezers, band-aids, and some other supplies I didn't know the name of. I raised my left hand to my forehead. It was radiating heat. I took one of the fever pills, and swallowed it down with some water. I continued to sip the water until my throat stopped stinging. I take the gauze and painfully wrap it around my swollen arm. I didn't want it to get any more infected than it already was. If that was even possible. I put the kit back into my pack.

It was hard to slip the pack back onto my shoulders. It hurt when I even moved my infected arm; none the less shove it through a strap. I used my left arm to stretch the strap as wide as possible, and used my shoulder to shove my infected arm through. I accidently brushed against the fabric. I bit my lip to keep from screaming. I couldn't stop a few streaks of water from being released down my face.

Once I accomplished the painful task of putting on the backpack, I stood up, held my arm as close as I could to my body without making it touch, and started down the tree. It really isn't the easiest and most pleasant task to climb down a tree with one arm. I was able to though. I almost lost my balance a lot though.

It probably wasn't smart of me to travel on the ground in my condition, but I needed to find Mason, and I'm pretty sure he wasn't going to be hanging out in the trees. Maybe if he spotted me wandering through the forest he would drag me into some cover before I was spotted by anyone else. He would probably be following the Careers. Well, those that are left. I took out my knife as a precaution. I gripped it in my left hand as if it were the only thing keeping me alive.

I walked through the forest for what seemed to be hours. I was careful not to get wet, or lose my balance. I managed to avoid contact with alligators. My temperature seemed to stabilize, but I kept sneezing, and my arm kept swelling. My throat wasn't as sore. I was getting tired even though I was only walking. I was about to sit down and rest against a cypress tree, when I heard talking. As far as I could tell it was two people. I moved closer. I leaned against the back of a cypress tree. I could now make out that the voices belonged to a girl and boy.

I knew there was only one other girl in the arena beside myself. Allia. I place the knife back through my belt. I peek from behind the cypress tree I had my back pressed against. I see them talking. They seem irritated, as if something they were expecting something that hadn't happened. Allia was shaking her fist at Alec, like a little kid displaying great anger.

Alec's voice was just above a whisper. "I know, Allia. It should have happened. I don't know why they haven't called for it yet." It? What is it?

"We destroyed the supplies; I don't know about the others, but I'm getting pretty hungry." The supplies? What did that have to do with anything? She said that she was hungry…it should have been a good thing for me, but the way she said it, she made it sound like a good thing for her.

"Perhaps we shouldn't have killed Demetri. There would be a longer time without events. They would want something interesting." Ok, I think there talking about the Gamemakers, something that they are able to do.

"You were the one who killed him." Way to blame Demetri's murder on Alec, Allia. Even though you would have done the same exact thing had he not held you back. "Anyway, I don't think it would have made a difference. The feast still wouldn't have been called." What is a feast?

An arm slips around my right side, covering my mouth. It jostles my swollen arm and I have to bite my tongue not to cry out in pain. Another hand is placed on my left shoulder. Why did I put my knife back? I was scolding myself for my stupidity and unawareness. The person leads me backwards, through the trees. I would squirm, try to escape, but I'm scared to by doing so I will hurt my arm even more.

After we are about a hundred yards away from where Alec and Allia where arguing, the person spins me around. The hand is still over my mouth. The person lifts up one finger over his mouth, as if to warn me to be quiet. Then he motions me to follow. He starts to walk. I think about running. When he sees I don't follow, he comes back and grabs my left hand. Why did I hesitate? That is going to get me killed. I don't think I have much of a choice now but to follow Tannor.

After surviving so long in the arena, it seemed a shame to be killed by Glitch's idiotic, twelve-year-old hating, ex-boyfriend. Then again, my life seemed to be filled with disappointment. About two hundred more yards of walking, Tannor lets go of my hand. He quickly looks me over, and winces when he sees my swollen arm. "What all did you hear?" Yeah, sure, you just kidnap me and expect me to cooperate. Not going to happen.

I shake my head. "I'm not saying. You don't have anything for me. I need to find Mason. I think he can fix my arm." He hasn't killed me yet. I guess that that is a good thing. Just need to keep him talking.

Tannor looks over his shoulder and leans to look behind me. He was checking to see if anyone overheard. "I know where Mason is. I can take you to him. Can you tell me what you heard, please?" He asks in the sweetest voice he can muster. I don't buy it. I look over him quizzically. How did he know were Mason was?

I shook my head. "Take me to Mason first."

Tannor narrowed his eyes. "For a twelve-year-old, you sure are a tough negotiator." Then he takes my arm and starts to lead me through the forest again. Along the way I have a smug smile of victory plastered onto my face. After fifteen minutes of travel, we stop in front of a thick cluster of trees. There is a small gap between the trees, concealed by branches of others. My smile disappears. Tannor leads me through the gap.

Inside the mangroves is a clearing, sheltered on the top and the sides. A perfect hide away, I thought. It would only be found by those who knew where it was. Or those clever enough to find it. I knew the Careers weren't clever, and they didn't know where it was. The cleverest person in the arena sat in the middle of the alcove, fiddling with his sword. He looked up when we entered.

Shock spread on his face. "Glynn, w-what are you doing here?" He looks to my side. Still stuttering I see. "What happened to your arm?" You should know. You're the one who said to stay out of water.

I shrugged, like it was no big deal. "I fell into a puddle. I didn't want to take of the bandages. I thought you could fix it." Mason looked to Tannor for further explanation.

"I found her eavesdropping on Careers." Mason nodded. He looked like every fiber in his body wanted to help me. Apparently his brain didn't listen to them.

His head turned to the ground, unable to look me in the eye. "I can't. You have to go." Tannor looks at Mason. Mason's head rises, and meets Tannor's eyes. Tannor nods and starts to lead me out. Mason looks back down towards the ground.

I thought back to this morning. He would want something in exchange for helping me, what do I have that he wants? Then I have it. "Wait! I can give you something; knowledge." There was desperation in my voice.

Mason looks up. His face confused. "Knowledge? What kind of knowledge?"

This was my last chance. I needed to word everything right. "A-about the Careers. I've been eavesdropping on some of their conversations, as the idiot just mentioned." Tannor's mouth drops into a slight gap, like he cannot believe I just called him an idiot so openly to his face.

Mason's grins and his eyes lit up. I don't know if he was relieved that he had a reason to fix my arm, or have a chance to obtain information. "Ok, I'll fix your arm, but you have to answer my questions first." Not going to happen, mister.

I shake my head. "No, you have to fix my arm first." Tannor laughed behind me.

"The kid did the very thing with me. You better just listen to her. It'll save you time and a lot of trouble. She is insanely stubborn." Stubborn? Who was he calling stubborn? The idiot forgot that I said that I would give him the information. Perhaps he wanted to help me…?

Mason rolled his eyes. "Alright, how about I fix your arm while I question you?" He held out his right hand, to shake on the agreement. I guess that would be fair for both of us.

"Deal." I hold out my left arm. Mason looks confused for a few seconds, then realizes why I hold out my left hand. He drops his right and shakes my arm with his left. When he drops my arm, I let it swing to my side.

Mason claps his hands together, like he was sizing up his situation. "Right. So Tannor, can you get me my kit?" Tannor heads off to a corner in the right side of the room. I just noticed the set up. Supplies in the front right, water and food in the back right. Weapons are in the front left. The back left is a free corner. Probably where they sleep. Mason calls me back to the present. "Glynn, can you sit right here?" He gestures to a thick root that was raised above the ground. I had a feeling it was more of a command than a question. I go to sit on the root, I'm facing the back of the opening. It is surprisingly comfortable. Tannor brings back the kit.

Mason takes a deep breath and removes the bandages I placed on my arm this morning. The bandages were already tinted a different color. My swollen, pus infested arm is revealed. Tannor gags behind me. "What don't like pus?" Mason laughs at his joke. I look to see Tannor's expression, and he shakes his head. Mason turns back to me. "Ok, this is easy enough to fix. I had a patient with a similar problem back in District 5."

"You were a doctor?" That would explain why he was able to fix almost every injury. Tannor moves from behind me to face the operation. I think he felt he would get over his distaste by looking it straight forward.

"I'm an apprentice to one actually." Mason said, eyes distant, like he was remembering past events.

Tannor looks at him skeptically. "You mean used to? Because last time I checked you were in a humid, bug infested arena, forced to fight to the death." I looked at Tannor's face. It was completely serious.

Mason gives a look of false shock. "What? Why didn't anyone tell me? Gee, you would think that someone would have told me that. Kind of an important detail." The last sentence reeked of sarcasm. We all crack up laughing. I'm the first to stop, because Mason is squeezing the pus out of my arm. I bite my lip from yelling out in agony. Yellow was pouring from my arm. I didn't even know that much could fit in it.

Tannor's face was turning a greenish color. "Holy shit, think I'm going to get sick!" With that he turned around, ran over to the free corner of the opening and knelt down, head in his hands.

"Watch your language, dumb ass. There is a twelve-year-old present." I giggle. Mason laughs under his breath. "Don't worry about him. He is a good fighter, but has a weak stomach." He got a towel from the kit. I looked at my arm. It wasn't as swollen as it was before, and it looked a good deal better. At least it wasn't hurting as much now. There was still a puddle of pus by my foot.

"At least I will have lots of practice if I get back." Mason whispers to me. He was trying to point out the bright side. But he wasn't quiet enough so Tannor didn't hear.

Tannor managed to find an error in Mason's statement. "The Key word in that statement is 'if'." He was turned around in his corner now, facing us.

"Just shut up, Tannor! No one wants to hear you be all negative!" Mason is ticked now. His brow is scrunched together. There is a frown on his almost always straight face.

Tannor held up his hands in defense. "Geez, fine. Just trying to be funny. It's like a morgue in hear. No sense of humor." He mutters the last part under his breath.

"How did Demetri die?" I looked up, surprised. Then I remembered. I was supposed to give him information in payment for the treatment.

"A basic summary would be he was arguing with Alec. He said something insulting to Allia, and Alec killed him with his sword." I shudder at the unpleasant and recent memory.

"Wow. Can't believe they destroyed each other. Actually, I sort of can. How?" Ok, I really don't want to say. It was bad enough to watch the first time.

"Um, decapitation." My voice dropped to a whisper as I said decapitation. Like making the word quieter will make the reality smaller. Mason winced.

I looked over to the corner where Tannor was huddled. "When did you and Tannor team up?" Mason seemed surprised by that question. So did Tannor.

"Um, before the Games began. We asked Blake if he wanted to join up, but he said that he had other plans." Blake? Who in their right mind would team up with that idiot? Then again, he teamed up with the twelve-year-old hater.

"Why are you still teamed up? Why not split?" There wasn't much left now. I would have split with Glitch if she was still alive. I wouldn't want to be the last one left with my partner. I guess it was better if those I cared about were dead. That way they can't get hurt. I only need to worry about those who are still alive.

Mason hesitated before answering my question. His voice dropped to a whisper. "We have a plan. But we need to get those who wouldn't follow it out of the way. What would happen if those who were left didn't want to kill each other? Then they would have to end the Game at that. No one else would have to die." His voice, which had been hopeful, possessed a mournful tone to it when he said that last part.

Another question popped into my head from that question. "Who was the girl from your district?"

"Her name was Valirie. She was a good friend of mine." He didn't even attempt to cover the mournful tone to his voice, or the look of despair on his face.

"More like your would-be girlfriend," called Tannor from his corner. I admit, Tannor was funny at points, but that comment was heartless. After being teamed with Mason so long, he had to have noticed that he cared for the girl.

Mason shot him a look of complete and utter loathing, and then returned his attention to me. I wonder why he didn't say anything to Tannor. I thought he was about to kill him. "I had asked her if she wanted to take part in my plan. She said that she just wanted to make it home alive. She ended up dying in the first hour." His voice hadn't recovered from its mournful tone.

I look at him pityingly, but then resume a straight face. I don't know what I should be feeling. All that I know is that it would totally suck if I were him. I couldn't think of anything to comfort him, so I just sat there in silence. I guess that Mason finished with my arm because he wrapped it in gauze. He did it quickly and expertly. He started to unwrap the other one. He seemed to recover somewhat because he continued his questioning.

"Tannor said something about you listening in to a conversation just before he found you. What were they talking about?" He was applying more of the stinging lotion that was supposed to keep out infection. I waited until he stopped to answer. Not because I didn't want to interrupt him, it's just that I didn't want to call out in pain if I tried to answer.

He started to wrap up my arm once he finished putting on the lotion. "Didn't Tannor hear anything?" Mason looked over to the corner.

"No. I had just gotten there when I saw you." He said that in an annoyed way, like it was the most obvious thing in the world to know.

I took a breath, and recollect the conversation that I had heard. "They said something about…a feast." Mason looked up surprised.

"A feast?" He and Tannor asked in unison. Their voices were filled with none other than shock.

"Yeah, they have been trying to get one called. They were arguing on why one hadn't been called yet." Mason looked at Tannor. I felt like I was being left out of some unheard conversation. "Why, is a feast something bad?"

Tannor answers. "No. It is a way to draw tributes together, a sure to be blood bath." What he said sounded pretty bad to me. I look at him like he was insane. Then I remind myself that he isn't insane, he is just an idiot.

Mason grins. "A perfect time to take out the Careers. Oh, and get some decent free food and supplies." I smile. I like the sound of that.

"So do we want a feast?" I was wondering if for once I had the same motive as the Careers. Except for that of trying to keep alive.

"Yeah." Mason and Tannor say in unison. Then they look at each other with false anger. Like they were mad that the other had copied them. I giggled at their attempts to keep a straight face.

We are interrupted by the sound of trumpets. I stand up, by habit. I found myself doing that a lot, if I heard an unfamiliar sound. I look up and hear the male voice that announced the Hunger Games on the first day. He was inviting us to a feast. It was tomorrow at noon. In front of the Cornucopia, a place that all tributes knew the location, so they had no excuse for not showing. Unless they weren't hungry. But they were hungry, I remember, thinking of the conversation that I had spied on.

Mason nods, a grin spread onto his face. "Looks like they got what they wanted. Come on, we need to think of a plan. Glynn, you can help." Tannor laughs. I shoot him a look of loathing. That only makes him laugh harder.

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Catching Fire comes out the day after tomorrow! But I got an ARC, so I already read it. It's pretty good, but I like the Hunger Games more. And I learned that District 7 is lumber. :'(. Oh well, I'll get over it. Oh, if you have questions about information of the tributes, I'm going to post a statistic page with ages, districts, kill count, and kill order on it. Also, I will probably edit the whole story once I post the whole thing. Enjoy the chapter. Read and Review. :D.


	13. Chapter 13: The Feast

Disclaimer: I still do not own the Hunger Games.

Ok, to most of you this chapter will seem very familiar. And why is that, you might ask? Because some of the exact same things happened in the book, I just twisted them around a bit. You actually find I do that quite a lot…

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Our plan was simple. Well, to me anyway. We would head to the Cornucopia at dawn, that way we would get there before everyone else. Mason would sneak out and hide in the Cornucopia, because that was the closest hiding spot to where the table would rise. Once the table holding the feast was raised, he would sprint out and grab as much as he would carry. I offered to do that, but Mason said that he would be able to carry more than me, and also, he needed me in the trees. He would then bring all that he grabbed to the forest, where Tannor and I would be hiding.

Tannor would help me get the supplies into an empty backpack, and I would hang it up into a tree that was close to the clearing. I would then hide in that tree, bow at the ready, and wait for the others to walk by. Tannor and Mason would then go back out into the open, as if to get more food and supplies. That would hopefully lure out the Careers if the food itself hadn't. I was then to take out the Careers from my tree, that is, if Mason or Tannor couldn't. We would then head back to the hideout, with a grater supply of food. It was a good plan. It would work. Then we could go home once they realized we weren't going to kill each other. That is at least what would happen if we managed to kill what was left of the Careers.

We woke up before sunrise that morning, reviewed the plan for what felt like the gazillionth time, making sure that we could recite it in our sleep if we had to. There wasn't room for error. We then headed for the Cornucopia. It was two hours to get there; we didn't talk along the way. Mason was in the lead, then me followed up by the idiot. We got there when the sun was just over the horizon, rays of light gleaming of the golden surface of the giant Cornucopia. We stopped just at the edge of the forest. Mason motioned for us to squat down. "Ok, so we all remember the plan, right?" Tannor and I nod in unison. I expected Tannor to say something extremely stupid, but he looked nervous and held his silence. "Alright, Glynn, this is your tree." He gestured to one of the trees with the thick branches. "The feast doesn't start for a few hours, but I'm going to go to the Cornucopia now. Have your weapons ready, in case any of the others show up early."

With that said, he got up and sprinted the one-hundred and fifty yards to the opening of the Cornucopia. Soundlessly slicing through the water to the island. Like a fox. I watched as he disappeared in its shadows. Tannor leaned against the trunk of the tree. I hesitantly followed, laying my loaded bow beside me, ready to grab in an instant. "Don't worry, he's a smart boy. He won't get himself killed." Yeah, he is smart unlike you, I added silently in my head. I didn't say anything, because it seemed that he was reassuring himself more than me. He reached into his pocket and brought out some nuts. "Do you want some?" He whispered.

"No." I whispered back in an annoyed tone, while glaring at him with disgust. How can you eat when you're preparing for such an important event? And where did he get those anyways? He probably has his head full of them, says that voice in the back of my head.

He shrugged. "Suit yourself." He then popped an almond into his mouth. We sat there for close to three hours. I was nearly driven insane by the munching sound of Tannor eating his nuts. By that time, the sun was midway in the sky. I lifted my hand to brush the drips of sweat from my forehead. Some of my hair was plastered to my head, so I moved that behind my ear. We turned to face the Cornucopia, making sure that we were still concealed in the bushes, and watched to see what would happen. After a few minutes the table rose from the ground, and locked into place. It was riddled with food, and supplies. It made my mouth water to look at it. Once it was set in place, Mason bolted out of his hiding spot, and started to pick up food and supplies as he quickly made his way back to us. He almost made it. Almost, but not quite.

He was intercepted by Allia, who had bolted out of the forest and across the water soundlessly, just as Mason had. I was so busy watching him, I had forgotten to scout the forest, and apparently so did Tannor. This had not been thought of when we made the plan. Her eighteen-year-old form tackled him to the ground. I heard the muffled thump from the impact where I was standing, one-hundred yards away. Or maybe it was just my mind playing tricks on me. I aimed my bow, but Tannor shoved it back down. "You might accidentally hit Mason, believe it or not, your aim isn't the best." I realized that was true. All I could do was watch as the horror unfolded. Mason struggled to his feet. Allia pushed him back down once he managed to get up and made him sit executioner style on the ground.

I didn't see Alec nearby. He must be scouting the woods for us. Allia started to circle Mason, one of her curved daggers tracing around the skin on his neck. Mason was breathing hard, his chest heaving in and out. "So, where is your stupid friend, I forget his name, the one who is an, well I don't know, idiot?" That thing better be talking about Tannor. False surprise spread onto her face. "Oh, and how could I forget your newest alliance, the little girl who plays in the trees, the one who always seems to get her friends killed?" I remember back to Glitch. Was it really my fault she died? Wait, how did she know about me and Mason forming an alliance? We had just teamed up yesterday. Fear filled me. Maybe they had been spying on_ me_.

Mason looks at her with disgust. Through gritted teeth he says, "I would never tell you. He is not an idiot. He and Glynn are hunting through the forest right now, looking for Alec." Yeah! That a boy Mason, sticking up for the idiot.

Allia appears to roll her eyes. "Well fine, be heroic. Alec will find them before they can find him. Doubt they even know one thing about tracking. In the mean time, I suppose I must take care of you by myself. Maybe I should tell you a story." Mason didn't respond. She kicked him in the gut. Mason doubled over in pain. Allia moved his head up with her knife, so she could look directly in his eyes. She was a few inches from his face.

"Listen when I'm talking to you Mason, it's very rude to ignore people." She moved away from his face and started to circle again. Like a vulture circling a dying animal. "Along with that story I was talking about then. Let's see, where to begin? Oh, I got it. Once upon a time, long, long ago, before the great rise of Panem, there were savages that lived on the lands. That was when the area was known as 'United State of Amrica'. One of the things that the savages did was carve into each other's body, making, what they thought to be, beautiful designs. They called them tattoos." Her head tilted to the side. "Do you want a tattoo, Mason? How about one on your pretty little face?" Mason wasn't responding to her now. Allia gave a look of false hurt. "No? Well, I'm going to give you one, I'm sure you'll warm up to the idea once I start. You would be surprised; I'm a very good artist."

She drove her dagger across his neck, making a thin, shallow, swirling line. Mason screamed out in agony. It echoed through the forest. Allia stopped for a second to examine her work. I ran forward, but Tannor held me back with one arm before I could make it out into the clearing. Alec sprinted out of the forest, went up beside Allia, and started to pace behind her. Probably to anxious to search for us when fresh blood was spilling onto the ground. He was laughing as she tortured Mason.

Allia started to carve all sorts of designs into Mason's face; she smiled with joy as she did it. As if she enjoyed cutting his face, hearing his screams. We watched for what seemed to be days, but it was probably only two dozen minutes. He was bleeding heavily at this point. After a while Mason's screaming stopped. The pain was too much. He stopped caring. He was going to die soon. Allia stopped carving. Mason's body dropped motionless to the ground. His cannon fired. Allia let out a shrill laugh, and she and Alec turned their backs to him, turned their backs to us. They headed for the food that was placed on the table. Mason's body laid there in a pile of blood. Tannor's grip loosened around me. I wasn't crying, but my eyes were wide in shock.

Tannor ran forward. Even if I tried, I wouldn't have been able to hold him back. I don't understand why he didn't just throw his spear, and get out of there. He kept running forward. Maybe he wanted to look into Allia's eyes as she died. See the look on Alec's face as he tortured her, if it would be like ours when Allia tortured Mason. Though if he wanted that, why didn't he just do so before Mason was killed. Maybe it was Mason's death that set him over the edge. How should I know his motives though?

All I know is whatever he was going to do; he never got to do it. Alec turned around just as Tannor was raising his spear. Alec smiled and then lifted his sword. Alec's blade entered Tannor's thick neck, most likely slicing a main artery. It wasn't decapitation, but it still brought back memories of Demetri's death. Tannor didn't even have time to scream. And I didn't have time to look away. Yet another cannon was fired. Maybe Tannor was an idiot after all. Brave, but an idiot none the less.

I remembered my bow that was waiting in my hand. I centered my arrow with a shaking hand, and raised it toward Alec and aimed carefully. My breathing was heavy. I needed to hit him. I was far away, but I needed to get my revenge. Anger was what made my arrow fly straight. I struck him through the heart. It should have been a victory for me. Allia turned around to see what happened. She saw Alec crumple to the ground. She screamed. Her eyes looked rabid; she was turning around rapidly, scanning the forest for the person that shot the arrow. By the look on her face, she never found out who did. Alec's cannon fired.

Allia let out a blood curling scream. Guess she did like him after all. I also guess that I should get out of there soon, unless I want to die a more painful death then Mason. I look back to Mason and Tannor's bodies. There was nothing I could do for them. I hoped Allia didn't mess them up any more. I also hoped she would get out of there soon, so the hovercraft can retrieve them before she does any more to their bodies.

I pick up the empty pack that we were supposed to fill with food and escape to the trees. I hesitated about leaving it. It would only carry failed memories of what had happened. Now I escape to the trees empty handed. While I was climbing up, I felt a bite on my hand. I looked down to see that it was only a small bug. I squished it and continued to climb.

It took three hours to get back to the hideout. This was only because I got lost along the way, when I took a wrong turn. I finally found it though after backtracking my steps. When I got through the trees, I found it was exactly how we had left it this morning. I dropped the pack and went to sit on the root in the middle of the clearing. I was surprised that I hadn't started to cry yet. I guess I was so used to death at this point, that I figured there wasn't any use.

I put my head between my knees. The stray piece of hair that always bothered me fell in front of my eyes. I sat back up. I didn't even bother to move it though; I just left it there to hang. Just like Tannor and Mason I think in my head. Just like Glitch, and everyone else who I could have helped but didn't have the courage to. A silver parachute drifted by my face. The parcel that was attached to it landed in my lap. It took me a second to register what had just happened. I looked down, and picked up the small box. A gift from a sponsor!

I excitedly open the wrapping to find a clip. It was exactly like the one that I had worn to the reaping. It had a butterfly with open wings on it. The only difference was that it was real silver. The other difference was the small sapphires that were on the edges of both wings. It was beautiful. I took the strand of hair and placed it back with the clip.

"Thank you-" I realize that I still didn't know my mentor's name. I guess I was just going to have to leave that statement at thank you. If it was some self absorbed psycho in the Capitol who gave the gift, they would think that I meant them, not my mentor. So I just left it at 'thank you'.

Then I notice; I actually have a sponsor. A bit late in the Game, but I still have one. It makes me excited; and kind of angry though, they could have sent me anything, anything at all, and they decided to send me a clip. A useless clip. They could have sent me food, or water, but no.

I looked around the opening. Then again, I had all of the supplies that I needed right here. Food, water, and first aid kits. Mason and Tannor had stocked up on water and food mostly. They must have fought for it at the Cornucopia. Either that or they had very generous sponsors.

It was almost dark. Light was fading over the alcove, casting an eerie shadow over the whole place. I decide to might as well stay here, where there is food, water and shelter. I'm going to miss my spot in the tree though. I knew that soon the anthem would play and the faces of those who died today would be shown in the sky. I didn't know if I would be able to see from the cover of the mangroves, but I really didn't want to. I was tired of looking at dead people. I walked over to see what all supplies that Tannor and Mason had. That's when I started to feel dizzy.

I figured that it might just be dehydration. I remember I had been drinking plenty of water today, but maybe not as much as I thought. I walked over to the pile where they had kept the supplies. I dug through it and took out a water bottle and made myself drink the whole thing. I stood up again, but still felt dizzy. Something wasn't right.

It sure was hot in here. It seemed a lot cooler last night. It even seemed cooler that day. I whipped sweat from my brow with my left hand. It felt different than normal. My hand, I mean. When I looked down to inspect it, I saw that the bug bite that I had gotten earlier had swollen. My whole hand was inflated three times its size, like a balloon. That was the last thing I saw before collapsing to the ground in unconsciousness.

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I doubt any of you care, but the reason I haven't been able to post recently is because I was so sick that I couldn't even walk in a straight line. Because of that, I had to miss three days of school. So I had a lot of makeup work… not fun. And my internet had not been working. But I can post now :D. Read and Review. Thanks for reading. :D I'm posting a second chapter today as well.


	14. Chapter 14: Dreamland

Disclaimer: I still don't, and never will, own the Hunger Games.

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Everything was black; I couldn't move a muscle. The last conscious thought that I had control of was about how glad I was that I slipped into vulnerability in the cover of the mangroves. Then memories started to come.

_I was four years old. My brother w\as taking me through the square. He had money in his hand, his birthday money. In his other hand was my small toddler arm. He was allowed to buy whatever he wanted with his money, I had begged him if I could go with him to look at the shops and help him pick his gift. He had smiled and said I could. Never once in my life did he tell me I couldn't follow._

_We walked by the candy shop, my favorite store. I yanked my toddler arm out of the grip of my brother's hand and ventured through the snow and brisk, chilly air to the window. He soon followed once he realized what I was doing, and was looking at the window from behind me. I was gazing at a jar filled with lollipops. I had never had one before, and the one in the window was a shiny red color. "Do you want that? I can get one for both of us." Hayven had asked; his voice filled with patience once he noticed my gaze locked on the sugary treat. My face lit up with delight and I nodded. _

_Hayven smiled, took my hand and led me through the door. A blast of warmth greeted us on the inside. Hayven was lost in the myriad of color that the candy shop had to offer, but soon resumed what he came to do. He went to the jar that held the lollipops. He took out two and handed them to the store owner. That's when he learned that he only had enough money for one. After very little scrutinizing, he decided what he was to do. He put the other one back, and handed over the money._

_Once outside, he unwrapped the plastic of the one lollipop he could afford, and handed it to me. A smile still on his face, but a certain sadness in his eyes. Being four, I took the candy without any hesitation. He then took my hand and led me back home. I skipped the whole way there. He had spent his birthday money on me. I never did have the chance to repay him for that. _

That was the happiest memory I had at my young age. I still remember the cherry taste of the lollipop that Hayven had given me. I had almost forgotten that memory, lost into the abyss known as my mind. I guess the venom of the bug drew it out of my subconscious brain. I had what seemed to be less than a second before the next memory came to me.

_I had just turned five. Hayven and I were playing tag with a group of his friends. Hayven was it. I was running down the brick pathway of the street. At least as close as you can come to a street in the districts. I turned around to see if I was being chased. Hayven was right behind me, and he was gaining fast. I started to move faster. That's when I tripped over my own foot._

_I skidded along the path, my knees and elbows grinding against the street. At first I was dazed, then the stinging pain hit. I burst out crying. Hayven ran up to me, knelt down, and looked at my arms and legs. He picked me up and carried me the half-mile distance to our home. Once there he placed me on the worn couch. Once he assured himself I wouldn't die in his absence, he ran into the kitchen to get my mother._

_My mother came out of the kitchen, wiping her hands on her flour covered apron. She was followed by a worried looking Hayven. Her eyes watered when she saw me hurt. She ordered Hayven to get some wet cloths. Hayven left the room. My mother walked up to me, and started to brush back my hair with her hand, comforting me, telling me I was going to be all right. I was still sniffling_

_Hayven returned and my mother gently washed off my cuts. Hayven paced impatiently behind her, occasionally having to answer the door, to tell annoyed friends that the game was off because I was hurt. Once she washed all of the dirt away, she wrapped my knees and elbows in cloth. Hayven left. I started to count how long he was away. Ten minutes later, when he came back, he had a bundle of blue flowers in his hand. He gave it to me, then led me to my room, so I could lie down._

Once Hayven had led me to my room he had sung me a lullaby. He was an amazing singer, one of the few boys who would dare to do so in public. His voice was soft, like a cloud. Or at least I think so. My thoughts are hazy. The only clarity in my head is from my memories, which I was going to return to soon.

_I was five, almost six. It was the first day of school. I was nervous, and it was all I could do not to show it. My mother had wished me and Hayven off. He was the one that took me to school. Along the way, he had joked around, trying to lift the fearful thoughts that were playing again and again in my head. Once we go there, he walked me to my first class, regardless of the snickers of his fellow classmates. He made sure that I sat in the front. I asked him to wait with me until the teacher came. He rolled his eyes sarcastically and agreed._

_The rusty old bell sounded the start of class. The teacher walked in and saw him. "Hello, Hayven. Is this your little sister?"_

"_Yes, Mrs. Kari." Hayven replied in a formal tone. "I have to get to my class now. It was nice to see you again." He gave me a hug, nodded Mrs. Kari goodbye, and then left._

_He left the room and went to his classroom. The boy that sat next to me, Quill I think his name was, smiled and said hello. I just nodded in response. I was too shy to talk to anyone without Hayven. The bell rang once more and the class settled down. The teacher walked to the front of the room and wrote her name on the board, along with a sentence._

"_Hello, class. My name is Mrs. Kari. Can every one say 'Hello, Mrs. Kari'?"_

"_Hello, Mrs. Kari." The class chanted in unison._

"_Very good, now can anyone tell me what this sentence says?" She points to the board. No one raises their hand. "No one? How about you, Hayven's little sister?" The class giggled at the teachers reference to me._

_I looked at the board nervously. Hayven had taught me some letters and numbers, I knew how to read some words, but this was…different. I swallowed, and tried to pronounce what might as well been a foreign language. "Um…We-well-welcome to skewl." The class giggles again. Mrs. Kari smiled pleasantly._

"_Very close, it says 'Welcome to school'. Good try, though. And class, we don't laugh at others. I doubt that most of you could read that either. Do you understand?" _

"_Yes, Mrs. Kari." The class chanted in embarrassment. I didn't join the response._

"_Good, now I want you to take out your math notebooks and work on the additives of one."_

Hayven walked me to school every day. He always made sure I sat in the front of the class. Once he died, I started to sit in the back. I stopped talking to the teachers, and they stopped talking to me. I was no longer Hayven's little sister. I was Glynn for one of the first times in my life.

_I was six and a half. It was Hayven's birthday, December 13__th__. He was turning twelve. The number that I considered to be the source of all misery. He needed to go to the Town Hall and register his name for the reaping. I was scared that he wouldn't come back. I begged to go with him. He took me along with him. As always._

_The walk to the town hall was filled with silence. Neither of us even tried to make a conversation. Once we made it to the Town Hall, we paused out front. As if we waited, something incredible might happen. Nothing did, so we had to enter the scariest building in town. I was surprised when I walked through the doorway. The Town Hall looked as it always did. I had expected it to turn into a dungeon, with skulls and weapons hanging on the wall, and dead people lying in puddles of blood on the ground. Hayven walked to the front desk. I couldn't see over the top. Hayven was barely able to."Today is my birthday." _

_The attendant looked down from the book she was reading. "Congrats, kid what do you want, a piece of candy? Because I don't have any." She looked back down at her book._

_Hayven shook his head. Come on Hayven, let's run, they forgot, I had thought in my head. "Today is my twelfth birthday." A shiver ran down my spine as that sentence was spoken._

_The attendant looked back up with renewed interest. "Oh. That sucks for you. Here, sign your name here. If you need to take the tessera, then sign your name that many more times." She handed Hayven a clipboard. I looked and saw that it had the names of other twelve-year-olds on it. Hayven signed his name once. He handed back the clipboard. _

_The attendant took it. "Good luck, kid. You're going to need it." Hayven nodded and then left. I followed close behind. We didn't talk on the way back either._

I was more scared when I went with Hayven than when I went by myself. I guess I knew what to expect by then. Nothing seemed to matter at that point anyways.

_I was eight. I looked out the window. Rain was pouring down hard. A flash of lightning illuminated the sky, closely followed by a roar of thunder. I screamed and bolted under the couch. I huddled there in a ball for ten minutes. Then I saw a head appear on the ground. "What are you doing under there?" Hayven asked._

"_I'm scared. It's lightning. It's raining really hard." The fear was present in my voice._

"_So what are you so scared about?"_

_My brow crunched together in frustration. "I don't know, I just am."_

_Hayven laughs. "Nothing to fear but fear itself."_

_A quizzical look grows on my face. "What?"_

"_Oh, nothing. Just something I heard in school. Now come out of there; don't worry, I'll protect you from the rain and lightning." I come out from under the couch and sit on the floor._

"_How can you protect me?" I ask skeptically._

"_Oh, well you see, the lightning is actually a knight, using his sword to hit the ground, to make sparks. He is trying to cheer up a little princess, much like yourself, by putting on a light show. She must be upset about something. Do you know what?" I take up a while to think an answer._

_I cup my hand around my ear as if I were listening to someone tell me a secret. "Yes. She told me that her canary died. It would sing her to sleep. She loved it an awful lot."_

"_What was the canary's name?" Asked Hayven, smiling now that he knew that I would play along with his game._

"_Heaven."_

_We sat like that on the floor; telling the story of the princess and the knight for an hour. We made up ways that the knight would try to cheer her up with, and her reaction to each. Then the rain stopped. There was a pitter-pat of water dripping down from the roof. Hayven looked out the window to investigate. _

"_It looks like the knight finally cheered up the princess. How did he do that?"_

"_He got her a new canary. But he sang her to sleep. That was what really made her stop." Hayven smiled._

"_Like this?" and he started to sing me a lullaby._

I still remember the story of the knight and the princess. It was the stupidest and most childish story I had ever heard. I still told it to myself when it was thundering and lightning.

_I was nine. Tears had soaked my face. I was in front of my parents, ready to run through the door once it was opened. The peacekeepers let me and my parents though the door. Hayven was sitting on a couch in the back corner of the room I sprinted forward and wrapped my arms around his neck. My parents stood frozen by the door. "I don't want you to go Hayven." I cried._

"_I know, Glynn, I know." Hayven said that surprisingly calm, he was stroking my hair as I sat next to him on the chair, arms still constricting him._

"_You're going to come back, right?" I look up to him, eyes wide in fear of what the answer might be. Of what the answer could be._

"_Of course he is coming back. He is a smart boy. He'll make it. What a stupid question." My father said from behind me. My mother broke into tears; she buried her head into my father's shirt, muttering in soft wails, my poor, poor, baby boy._

_Hayven, who had turned to face my father, returned his attention to me and answered my question. Staring me straight in the eye, he said in a whisper, "I'll try my hardest. I swear to it." The Peacekeepers came in and ushered us out. As they led us out the door I cried. I yelled back to him one more time._

"_I love you Hayven!" I screeched, my voice cracking from fear._

"_As do I, Glynn."_

_Don't forget what you said."_

"_I promise I won't." He then mustered up a smile, I tried to do the same, but I couldn't. The Peacekeepers slammed the door in my face. I never saw him cry. The whole time at the Capitol, not one tear escaped from his face. Never once was any of his sorrow captured on television. I wish I were strong like him._

My father didn't cry. My mother wept bucketfuls. I was confused. I didn't know whether to be sad or not. That was one of my most painful memories.

_The day after Hayven's death. My father was handing me my backpack. I took it and lifelessly shrugged it onto my shoulders. I wiped a tear from my already red, puffy face. I had been crying all night. Now it was time to face the other children at school._

"_I don't want to go to school though. Can't you tell them that I'm sick?" I beg my father for what seems like the tenth time._

"_No. You need to go to school. I'm sure that your teachers know what happened. They shouldn't ask you to talk. You need to make sure to get your education. I'm going to the carpentry shop today." I will never understand how he can work through the worst events._

"_Where is Mom?" I ask. She would let me stay home. She would understand._

"_She just needed some time alone. She will be back." Just then there was a knock on the door. I went to go answer it. When I opened it, I was shocked to see the head Peacekeeper stand in front of me. My father came to stand behind me. For the first time in my life, I felt cornered._

"_What can we do to assist you today?" My father asks. His tone letting no emotion escape._

"_This is the family of Ellien Sail. I am here to inform you with the lamentable news that her body was found in the Meadow this morning. The cause of death was pneumonia." I let out a wail. My father nods and shuts the door. He still makes me go to school. The only problem with what the peacekeeper said was that it was the middle of summer._

The day in school was the worst I had ever experienced. People kept coming up to me, saying they were sorry, and asking if they could do anything for me. Normally, this would be pretty cool. It is just whenever people offer to do that, you just want to be alone.

_I just turned ten. I wake up screaming in the middle of the night. A cold sweat lines my face. I run to my father's room and shake him awake. After three minutes, he starts to come to his senses. "Wha? What wrong?" says my father, rubbing his eyes of any remaining sleep._

"_I had a nightmare." I said, eyes wide._

"_Again? This is starting to get ridiculous." He grumbled the last part under his breath. _

"_I keep seeing him dying. Sometimes I'm with him in the arena. Sometimes I die too." My father sighed._

"_I can't do anything about the nightmares. I can build you another bed and put it in my room though. So you don't have to wake me up in the middle of the night." I nod, hesitate a bit, but head back to my room. When I get back to sleep, I plummet into my nightmare again._

_I'm standing on the platform. I'm surrounded by a desert. Next to me is Hayven. He has his eyes on a sword sixty yards in. The gong rings. Hayven sprints in. I'm close on his heels. He grabs the sword. The boy that I now knew as Glitch's brother intercepted him._

_I saw the spear enter Hayven's chest all over again. I was soon to follow. I bolted out of bed. A glint of light shun threw my window. I had made it until morning. _

I heard a canon fire. It wasn't in my memory though.

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Hiya! I'm posting two chapters today! (Don't get your hopes up, this is the second.) Sorry about not being able to post in forever, but my dad was trying to fix our printer and in the process he killed the internet. Seriously, that only happens me. I hope you enjoyed the chapter. It was pouring rain when I wrote it. Thanks for reading and don't forget to review :D Oh, and I looked it up, Australian release date for Catching Fire is Oct. 1st. I think. :D


	15. Chapter 15: Practice

Disclaimer: I do not own the Hunger Games. Believe it or not.

The Internet lies! And doesn't work half of the time!

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My eyes batted open, the task seeming unfamiliar since I hadn't done so for so long. The sun was just rising in the arena casting a warm haze over the opening. I have no idea how long I would have been stuck in my subconscious had it not been for the cannon. I also have no idea on how long I was stuck in my subconscious in the first place. I lie down for a few more seconds until I muster the strength to sit up. I look around. Everything was how it was left before I fainted. I felt an extreme dryness in my throat and an emptiness in my stomach. I stood up, but almost fell, I was uncertain on my feet. I took a few breaths, and then I went over to the supplies and dug out a few water bottles.

I chugged down a first one greedily in less than a minute, water sloshing out the side of my mouth. Before I knew it the bottle was dry, and I threw it aside and grabbed another. I took medium sips on the second, still unable to convince myself to slow down; my thirst was too great. I took small sips on the third, taking up twenty minutes. Once I had convinced myself that I had drunk enough water, I started to look for food. I found some bread, it was stale, but I ate it all without hesitation. I waited until I was sure it was going to stay down. I took a deep breath. I felt much better.

Now was the time to access damage. I looked down at my left hand. It was no longer swollen. It was a faded red, but I don't think it would give me any more trouble. I wish I knew what bug that was, and why I haven't been bitten until now. Maybe they had released it especially for the feast. I looked to my bandaged arms. They weren't swollen, they didn't appear to be infected, and the bandages were still dry, and they were clean enough. I don't need to change them.

Then I remember the cannon. Someone died, Allia! I could go home! I'm safe! But something felt…off. I pause the slight victory in my head, and analyze the situation. Wouldn't they have announced my victory yet? Wouldn't a hovercraft be here to bring me back to safety? I bite my lower lip in confusion. Then I realize with a crush of newfound depression. There was another tribute that I had forgotten. Blake.

I guess that he and Allia had run into each other. Or maybe one was eaten by an alligator. I shudder at the memory of the mangled girl in the alligator's mouth. I would have to wait until tonight until I would learn who didn't make it. Which one died. I didn't know which one I hoped to be dead. They both would be hard to kill. I guess it would be which way I would prefer to die.

Allia had those nasty curved knives that she handled so carefully and expertly. Not to forget viciously. She would give me a slow, painful, merciless death. Give a show as she so much loved to do. If I were to kill her, it would have to be by a surprise attack. Blake was from my district. I didn't know him well, but he was from home. He might be sympathetic and give me a quick death. I didn't even want to think about having to kill him.

Both of the possibilities were better fighters then myself. Larger, stronger and more skilled. Tannor had said that my aim wasn't the best. He was right. I needed to practice if I had any hope of beating them. If there was any hope left. I take my backpack and shrug it onto my shoulders. I check my belt to make sure my knife is still there. I then grab my bow, and head out.

The second I got outside, I noticed how different the arena was. The water had risen about a foot. I could tell that it no longer was rising, but it still surprised me once I saw it. You had to jump along the highest of the mangrove roots to get around. Maybe one was eaten by an alligator, the water was high enough now for them to be concealed completely. The humidity was also higher. It made the simplest tasks difficult. I splashed over to a tree that is easy to climb up to, careful not to get my bandages wet. Once there, I hauled myself up and started to jump along through the trees.

I spent the rest of the day up there. Hiding, practicing in the trees. Waiting to see who I was going to have to face. Waiting to see the person or thing that stood between me and District 9. Switching between anxious and apprehensive. I also alternated between my knife and bow.

When I saw a flock of birds, I picked a location on their body to shoot at. First, I just tried to hit the bird in general. Once I was able to hit the bird, I would move back down to the ground to retrieve the arrow, and the bird if I shot it. Each time I hit in the area that I had set for myself, I made it even smaller. I kept wandering the forest, looking for birds. Until I was able to hit the last one in the eye.

Then I moved to bigger and stronger targets. The alligators. I could see more of them. Well not exactly see, but I could sense their presence. Since the water level had risen, making everywhere an ideal place for the gators to hide. It also made them harder to find. Once I did find one, I shot it with an arrow, aiming for the eye. I couldn't pierce the tough armor on its back, so that was the only place I was able to hit.

If I missed, I had to take part in the dangerous task of removing the arrows from the water. After my recent experience with my infection, I was smarter than to stick my arms in the water. So I used my feet. I had to be extra careful though, because most of the time, an enraged gator was just below the surface. I almost got bitten twice. I lost an arrow to each. I only had nine left. But now I was able to use my feet almost as well as my hands.

After I was confident with a bow, I switched to my knife. I was already good enough with it, thanks to watching Glitch show off. I still could be better though. I pranced along in the trees, throwing the knife at different parts in the tree that stood out, such as a hollow or discoloration.

I twirled my knife in my hand, almost dropping it. How did Allia learn to handle them with such ease? She was District 4, the fishing district. Where would she find the time to master her weapons? I knew from something I heard in school that everyone worked in that district. From a young age. Unlike myself, I had a privileged life, and didn't need to work. I wasn't required to work. I still knew how to do the basics of my district's trade though. My father made sure that I learned.

Then a disturbing thought hit me. What about everyone's family? It hadn't occurred to me until now. The Victory Tour. I had to go to the districts, where they would pretend to love me, where I would have to look into the eyes of those who children I have killed, who I have watched be killed, and who I could have prevented from being killed. That is, I would only have to do that if I won.

A wave of emotion rushes over me. I didn't want to do this anymore. I wanted to escape, go far away and never come back. I kneeled down on the branch, my arms encircling my bent legs, keeping them close to my chest. I leaned against the trunk. I felt sick. Unlike I have ever felt before. A tear escapes my eye. "I want to go home," I moan, in a pathetic attempt that someone might listen and fulfill my wish. More tears escape me when I realize no one is coming. No one wanted to help. There wasn't anyone who cared.

A new emotion now enters my body. It wasn't anger. Anger was too weak of a word for what I felt. I felt rage. Rage directed at the Capitol, for making me do this. Rage at the Capitol for not caring about all of the children that they hurt. I heard a movement to my left. My brain was still fuzzed with fury. I stood up and threw my knife with inhuman speed. I turned to see that it was nothing. My knife stuck in a tree. I came back to my senses. I leaped over there to retrieve it.

It took fifteen minutes to work it out of the trunk. By the time I finally managed, I figured that I better head back to the hiding in the mangroves. Along with that, I assumed that all of Panem was laughing at my pour, pathetic display of strength. It took me one and a half hours to make it back. By the time I reached, the sun was just setting. And my fury had cooled back into wherever it had come from.

I set my bows and backpack down, and slump on the floor. I could see well enough from where I was at. Why should I care who I face now? Either way, it was still murder. Murder of teenagers that had a whole promising life ahead of them. Ended by a silly little game invented by the Capitol to keep the districts in line. Ended by the people whose lives were worth less than their own. Well it's not going to last forever. Someone will find a way to evade the rules of your stupid little game, I think in my head. It might not be me, but whoever manages, will have my undying respect.

As I finish my ranting in my head, the anthem begins to play. I look to the sky to see the image of the Capitol blurred by the tree branches above me. Once it is finished, I look down to my feet. This was the moment when I would see the final tribute that was left. I gulped down a sob that was sure to erupt. I had to look. If I didn't, I would have no idea who or what I was up against. And I tentatively raised my head to the sky, unsure if I was prepared to accept what I was about to see. The smiling face of Allia is what greeted me in the sky. She almost seemed…human. That would be because she is human, says the voice in back of my head. And for once, I agree with it without any resistance.

I sighed in relief, glad that it wasn't Blake. Then I remembered I was the only one left to take him out. No hope that any other competitor was left to finish him off. The tributes of District 9, fighting to the death. I'm sure Blake wouldn't hesitate to kill me. I was also sure the Capitol won't pull the plug and let us go back to District 9 as co-champions. No, this was as entertaining as it got. At least we were sure to have a victor. But how would they deal with the one that returned, the one that lived? Would they shun them, treat them as an outcast for the brutal murder of their own? Would they praise them for finally bringing victory, and all that came with it, to the districts? Would those of other districts learn to forgive them? I knew that all the victors were hated in nine. I remember when the girl victor from the year my brother died.

_I was standing along the street that led to the town hall, the main one in District 9. There was a cluster of people in front of me, but at my short height I could still make out was happening by looking under their legs. The girl was smiling and waving, she was walking by foot, surrounded by Peacekeepers. I ran through the crowd and to the girl. Once I reached her, I started hitting her with my small fists. She looked down at me in surprise. It was clear I was unable to hurt her, but there was a look of shock on her face._

"_Why? How could you do that? Didn't you ever think of who you were hurting?" I managed to shout between tears._

"_W-w-what?" She had stumbled, not sure how to respond to my outburst. A peacekeeper moved forward, and shoved me off of her leg and onto the unforgiving ground. He took me by the ear and started to hit me. There were cries of surprise from the crowd. The girl looked at me pityingly, but was ushered forward, told by someone to keep moving. She kept my gaze for a second longer before continuing._

_My father finally made his way through the crowd, his face without emotion. "Sir, excuses her. She is distraught from the recent loss of her brother and mother. Though it was months ago, she hasn't yet recovered. You shouldn't beat her for her ill state of mind." The Peacekeeper looked at him skeptically, hit me across the face one more time, and left. Tears were still streaking down my face, and I was gulping up sobs. My father scooped me up. My checks had been split open, and were now bleeding. I couldn't notice the pain._

As we passed by, people put flowers on me. Wild flowers that were meant for the victor. Instead they gave the flowers instead for the girl who lost her brother and mother because of the Games. Flowers for the girl who stood up. Flowers for the girl who had courage to unknowingly defied the Capitol.

Once my father brought me home, he scolded me. He told me I wasn't to do that. That he wouldn't be able to cover for me all the time. He told me to play by the rules. Advice that I had followed until the Games. My episode from the Victory Tour had remained unnoticed by the other districts, they had decided to cut that part when they aired it. I wasn't punished any more than my initial beating, for they recognized my act as grief, not rebellion.

Would any of the others act as I had? I don't know if I would be able to handle it. I knew what they felt. And why. Would I ever be any release from the torturing guilt I now house deep in my mind? I suppose the only way to find out would to be victor. And once again, I found myself needing a plan. Except none that I thought of could work. I fingered the shiny new clip that held back my loose strand of hair. I think back to what Mason said.

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Ok, I really, really, really want to be in the Hunger Games movie. I'm 5'4, have dark brown hair, blue-green-grey-brown eyes (yeah, I have multicolored eyes, but they look grey from a distance.) I am awesome at climbing trees and weigh about 90 pounds. Who do you think I want to play? Katniss! The only problem is that I have no professional acting experience. Ask anyone who knows me, they will tell you I'm good at acting. Either that or they will tell you I look like an elf… Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Read and Review! I'll try to post soon! Tell me if you know anything about auditions! You all are amazing! Well, most of you anyway. JK, you all are awesome. :D :D :D.


	16. Chapter 16: Victorious End

Disclaimer: I don't own the Hunger Games...and from the look of it I probably wont even be in the movie... :'( But I might:D

WARNING: This chapter is really sad. I had to make it this way because it's against Glynn's character to partake in major fights.

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My plan was so obvious, it was pure genius. I would go to the Cornucopia, and wait. Eventually, Blake would show up and I would be able to confront him with the proposition to not kill each other. It seemed breathtakingly brilliant to me, so I assumed it would work. But assumptions quite often are wrong. Especially when made by me.

Once I woke up, I got to work. I started to stuff food and water into my pack, despite my aching muscles that I had acquired from yesterday. I removed my first aid kit; I didn't think I would need it. Making all the preparations to carry out the plan. Mason's plan. Once I was done with that, I slung it over my shoulder, along with my bow. I readied my knife, and headed to the Cornucopia.

I didn't bother to go in the trees. With only one tribute left, why bother? I was in the border between the mangrove and cypress parts of the forest, so I just hopped along the roots of the mangroves. It took two hours to get there; thankfully, I didn't run into any gators. I didn't see any. It's like they completely disappeared.

Along the way, I prepared what I was going to say. Words are tricky things to deal with. Sometimes interpreted differently by different people. I needed to convince Blake to lower his weapons, and listen to my plan. Or Mason's plan, I should say. I didn't even want to think of what were to happen if he refused to listen to me. But much like the night of the interrogations, nothing came to me.

Once I reached the trees edging the area where the Cornucopia lays, I had second thoughts about my knife. I hesitated, then I placed it back into my belt. If Blake saw me with my knife raised, he might think I was going to attack him. Or at least I would think so if I was in his position. I made sure that it was covered by my shirt, so he couldn't see it, and just in case I needed to reach for it. I kept my bow over my shoulder.

I continued the five minute walk to the clearing. Before leaving the cover of the trees, I decided to check it out. I walked up to a tree just on the edge, and peaked out the side. I learned that I didn't need to wait for Blake. Blake was already there, leaning against the mouth of the Cornucopia, waiting for me. I mean, why else would he be there if he wasn't waiting for me?

The arena didn't change him much. He still had shaggy black hair, maybe a little longer than before, hanging in front of his eyes. He didn't seem to lose that much weight. His leg seemed to be wrapped up in a cloth stained by blood. He had his hand over his side, suggesting that he was hurt there too. Other than that, he seemed fine. He had a pack lying beside him, zipped closed. He didn't appear to have a weapon. For all I knew though, he had one concealed inside the mouth. Could he be proposing the same plan that I was? One way to find out.

He was faced slightly to my left. Looking more towards the cypress trees then the mangroves. I tentatively peaked out from behind my tree. He still didn't spot me. I moved onto one of the mangrove roots that stretched into the opening, and kneeled there, waiting to see what he would do once he saw me. He still didn't notice my presence. I was starting to wonder whether he was deaf, or blind, or something. I guess I was going to have to move closer.

I took a deep breath, and sprinted to the island, avoiding any alligators, though I doubt there are any left. Once on the shore, Blake noticed me. Probably from all the splashing I made coming over here. He looked my direction, and gave a week nod. He stood up and moved away from the Cornucopia, wincing in pain as he put weight on his leg. "I don't have any weapons," To show proof, he turned around once. "Drop yours. I need to talk." Blake stole what I was going to say. I store at him dumbfounded for a few minutes before dropping my pack and my bow to the ground. He didn't know about the knife, so I left it where it was. Just in case the situation called for it.

"Ok, move forward a bit, so you can't reach them." He added that in a tone that suggested that he thought moving forward was included in the statement drop your weapons. I followed his instructions. Once he decided that I was far enough away, he told me to stop. He was about four yards away from me.

Time to get this over with. "Alright, what do you want to talk about?" I call out. We're close enough at this point so we can talk in normal voices.

Blake looks to the ground, not sure how to put his words. After a minute, he finally settles on, "You know, only one of us will be able to make it out of here." Oh, so he wants to explain why he wants to kill me. Wonderful.

"What happens if we refuse to fight each other? If we just sit here?" That was Mason's plan. The plan he was unable to perform because of Allia.

Blake considers this for less than a second, and then shook his head. "That is what Mason wanted to do. He told it to you, didn't he? I know that it won't work. If we don't do anything, the Gamemakers will. Then we would have an even more painful death then we deserve." I didn't think of it that way…they could probably do some pretty terrible things. They probably would do some terrible things.

"So, what are you saying, you want me to kill myself, so you can go home with a free conscious?" Ok. That probably wasn't the nicest or most considerate thing to say, but it was the first thing that popped into mind. It probably didn't help that there was a snide tone of my voice.

Blake looked at me with terror, and took a step back. "No. No, I wo-" I cut him off.

I wasn't done yet. "Yeah, what do you care for a little twelve-year-old? You have your life to look after, so why care about someone else's?" When I said that, it was directed more towards myself. Thinking back to all of the children, dying, me the cause…

Blake's mop of hair had moved away from his eyes at this point. He looked like he was going to cry, his eyes told a whole story. But he managed to keep a straight face. "You think that no one cares about you. You think that everyone thinks that you are a nuisance. Well, I'm going to tell you that you're wrong. People adore you. They think that you are one of the most perfect children in the whole district. In the whole country. They respect your…courage. They want to help you. You just can't get by Hayven's death to realize that. You are not the only one who cared about Hayven, so get over it already." His words hurt. I was on the verge of tears.

"Don't act like you care about Hayven! Don't act like you care about me!" How dare he talk of Hayven. I was on my knees, leaning over, the hilt of the knife jabbing into my side. I didn't want him to be sympathetic. I didn't want him to be kind to me. It would be too hard to see him die. I didn't want to listen to him anymore. My arms were wrapped around me. I felt helpless. I was helpless. I saw Blake hesitate, but he moved over and sat next to me.

Once beside me, his voice dropped to a gentler tone. "Hayven was one of my best friends. I don't know if you remember." He paused to see if I was going to say something when I didn't, he continued. "When we were let in to say final goodbyes, I was the second to visit him. He told me that, if he didn't get back, to take care of you. He didn't want to see you hurt. He loved you more than anything else. I promised to protect you from harm." He was friends with Hayven? The class-A idiot? I struggled to believe this. But I do have faded memories of the shagged haired boy coming to our house and hanging out with Hayven at school.

I looked at him. A disbelieving look covered my face. "How is shoving me around in the hallway protecting me?" Blake let out a half-hearted laugh.

"Hey, I said that I would protect you, not destroy my carefully maintained reputation. Unfortunately for you, that includes shoving around midgets in the hallway." Wow, that was harsh. Yet, he actually made me cheer up slightly.

"Who are you calling a midget?" I accuse him with false anger.

He reaches over and pats my head, ruffling up my hair in the process. "All those who are under the five foot mark." I try to put on a frown, but I'm trying too hard to suppress a smile. Blake laughs at my pathetic attempt. How people like him can turn someone from depressed to overjoyed in a matter of minutes is a complete mystery to me. Then again, I was still far from overjoyed.

I look to the sky. It was about noon. "So, what are we going to do about the whole only-one-person-will-make-it-home ordeal? Decide who it is by rock, paper, scissors, shoot? That's what Hayven and I would do when there was only one cookie left." Blake looked down. His eyes swimming with what I thought to be guilt and remorse. I tried to read his face, but I couldn't tell exactly what he was thinking. What he was planning to do next.

"Would you be able to tell my family that I tried? That this is the best way? Ask if they can forgive me." He looks at me directly in the eyes. I drop my gaze and concentrate on a grain of sand. I didn't understand why he would ask that of me.

"I don't see why I would need to. You just did so on national television." No mention that he was the one who would probably make it back. Blake shook his head, like I didn't understand what the point was.

"It's not the same as hearing it directly." With that, he reveals a knife that he had been hiding in the crevasses of his shirt. I jump up from where I was, and land a yard away from where Blake still sat. Traitor was all I thought in my head. "You have to promise, though." His tone is still the same as before.

I don't respond to his last request. All I could think of was the knife in his hand. "You had a knife the whole time!" Blake regards me with a bland look on his face.

"Don't act like you don't." My gaze loosens and quickly looks down guiltily to where my knife is hidden. It shoots up and looks Blake in the face.

"Yeah, but, but, I wasn't going to, to-" I cut myself off. "I wasn't the one who promised to keep the other safe from harm to a dead boy." I felt guilty about those words as soon as they excited my mouth. How could I use tragedy as an excuse? What monster does that? Only the monsters that are formed through the Hunger Games thinks the voice in my head. I clamped my hands over my mouth.

But it was guilt that spread over Blake's face. "It's ok. You're right. Don't forget what I asked you to say. I don't intend to break my promise to Hayven. I wouldn't be able to forgive myself. I hope you don't intend to brake yours either." With that, he spins the knife in his hand, having it point at his chest. He stabs his heart before I can run forward to stop him. I collapse to my knees before where his body lies. His breathing was scarce. Tears started to escape from my eyes.

His eyes were fluttering with what I could only presume as pain. I inched toward him, until the side of his head was beside my knees. His left arm rises, shaking madly in the air, as if searching for something. I give him my hand and he seems to relax some. His arm lowers back to his side, still holding mine in an iron grip.

The knife is still lodged between his ribs. I don't want to move it, but I should probably ask Blake if he wants it to be removed. "Do you want me to remove the knife?" I ask in the softest voice possible.

Blake says something that I register as yes. I swallow deeply before making a move. I remove the blood soaked knife with my free hand. I almost jumped when I saw that more blood was pumping out. It slows after ten seconds, and I can see the precision that he had hit himself with. While blood was gushing from the wound, it was a neat and orderly cut. While it was short, it was deep. Almost like he was practicing, like he knew what to do. Blake's eyes had closed at this point. His breathing was ragged and labored.

He knew I had the knife the whole time. He was planning this from the beginning, how was I so blind to not see that? Why did I act so obnoxiously to him? He didn't have much longer. All I could do was continue to hold his hand. "I'm so sorry. I won't forget what you said." I whisper. Blake mumbles something that I can't make out. His cannon fired.

I started to stand up, but I had second thoughts. I leaned over Blake's lifeless body and grabbed his other hand. I interlaced them. I brushed the remainder of hair from his face. His eyes were already closed, so I didn't have to do that for him. I realized that was all I could do. I wouldn't be able to say anything, words wouldn't do him any good, and they wouldn't do me any good either. I look to his face one more time. He almost looked peaceful in death.

Hesitatively, I rose. I stepped away and moved to the edge of the water with shaking limbs. Trumpets played. There was a sort of cheering in the background. The male voice that announced the begging of the games boomed above. "Congratulations, Glynn Sail, District 9, Victor of the 11th Hunger Games!" Yes, congratulations. I'm a mass murderer. What an accomplishment. I looked behind me and saw a hovercraft pick up Blake's body. The screaming in the background made it impossible to hear the signs of its approach.

I watched him for what seemed to be the last time in my life. The way that the hovercraft picked him up made his hands fall, leaving them dangling by his sides. Removing the last good I could do for him in a single motion. Destroying what little I could do to repair my conscious without even thinking about it. I choked up a sob, but no tears escaped. I turned back towards the ground. Concentrating on the mud.

A second hovercraft appeared above me and dropped a ladder by my right side. I sat still for a minute, pausing one more time before I left the arena forever. It was funny, really. I thought that I was dead. I thought that I had no chance. I thought that everyone was my enemy.

I was the only one that lived though. I wasn't the only one with a chance, but all those who did stand one helped me. I was the one going home. My father was probably the only parent who didn't tell their child that they were going to make it.

It really isn't fair, is it? To be told that you have a chance. To be told that you will be the one to make it. People tell each person they have a chance to make it home. But only one ever will. So why get their hopes up. It just will hurt more when they fail. But I guess it is to give them hope for the journey. Hope to carry on. And that is what the others gave me.

I put my arm around the first rung, and I felt locked in place by it. Probably didn't want me to follow in Blake's suicidal end. I continued to climb up, keeping my face expressionless, except for the tears now dripping down my face.

Only once I'm secured safely in the hovercraft does the force holding me in subside. Weakness falls over me, and I can no longer reason how I was even able to climb up the ladder. I'm lead by a team of doctors into a clean, white room. At first I'm hesitant that they might try to kill me, but what would be there reason? I'm a victor. They direct me to a bed, where I lie. One of them gets a syringe and injects its contents into my arm. And I'm flung into an unconscious state.

I won. I accomplished the impossible. What I thought would be my end was only the beginning. I can see my dad again! And District 9! And all because of all the people who helped me. First was Glitch, then Mason, Blake, and even Tannor eventually followed. They believed in me when no one else did, and because of that, I'm alive. Now I had to face their deaths all over again in the recapping of the games.

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Before I say anything else, I must say that this is not the end. The next thing is that I saw a shooting star yesterday, and I'm not allowed to tell you what I wished for. I'm sure you can guess. For all of you that don't know, Lionsgate purchased movie rites to the Hunger Games. They say it should come out 2011. Um... what else was I going to say... ah, I forgot. Maybe I can remember in the ten minutes that it takes me to post the next chapter. Hope you enjoyed reading, because I enjoyed writing. Read&Review. :D


	17. Final Statistics

Disclaimer: Actually, this part really doesn't take anything from the Hunger Games. (But I still don't own it.)

WHY: Ok, why do I do this you ask? I like numbers, and statistics. So for all that do to, this is the statistics of all that were killed. I have their age, name and district. I also have how many kills they made, order which they died, and who killed them. And I still can't remember what I was going to say...

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Final Statistics

District 1 boy (Demetri-18)- Decapitation, kill credited to Alec, the one who beheaded him.

Killed: 18th

Kill Count: 0

District 1 girl (Darcie-16)- Strangled by assassination pythons, kill credited to Glynn, the one who dropped the snakes.

Killed: 12th

Kill Count: 1

District 2 boy (Ethan-18)- Strangled by assassination pythons, kill credited to Glynn, the one who dropped the snakes.

Killed: 14th

Kill Count: 2

District 2 girl (Electa-17)- Strangled by assassination pythons, kill credited to Glynn, the one who dropped the snakes.

Killed: 13th

Kill Count: 1

District 3 boy (Zadin-14)- KIA, first day, kill credited to Alec.

Killed: 2nd

Kill Count: 0

District 3 girl (Millena-15)- KIA, first day, kill credited to Allia.

Killed: 3rd

Kill Count: 0

District 4 boy (Alec-18)- Struck by arrow, kill credited to Glynn, the one who hit him.

Killed: 21st

Kill Count: 3

District 4 girl (Allia-18)-Struck with axe, kill credited to Blake, the one who held the axe.

Killed: 22nd

Kill Count: 4

District 5 boy (Mason-17)- Cut with knives, kill credited to Allia, the one who cut him.

Killed: 19th

Kill Count: 2

District 5 girl (Valirie-16)- KIA, first day, kill credited to Allia.

Killed: 1st

Kill Count: 0

District 6 boy (Skylar-14)- KIA, first day, kill credited to Darcie.

Killed: 8th

Kill Count: 0

District 6 girl (Kira-16)- KIA, first day, kill credited to Ethan.

Killed: 4th

Kill Count: 0

District 7 boy (Jarad-15)- KIA, first day, kill credited to Ethan.

Killed: 6th

Kill Count: 0

District 7 girl (Glisten-16)- Stabbed by sword, kill credited to Mason, the one who held the sword.

Killed: 15th

Kill Count: 1

District 8 boy (Tyren-17)- Mace through head, kill credited to Electa, holder of the mace.

Killed: 11th

Kill Count: 1

District 8 girl (Stella-15)- Stabbed by spear, kill credited to Tannor, the one who held the spear.

Killed: 16th

Kill Count: 1

District 9 boy (Blake-18)- Went suicidal, kill credited to Blake, the one who killed himself.

Killed: 23rd

Kill Count: 2

District 9 girl (Glynn-12)- Victor!

Killed: Never!

Kill Count: 4

District 10 boy (Aaron-14)- KIA, first day, kill credited to Glisten.

Killed: 9th

Kill Count: 0

District 10 girl (Akaria-15)- Mauled by alligator, kill credited to Tyren, the only one in the area and we had to give the credit to someone.

Killed: 10th

Kill Count: 0

District 11 boy (Tannor-17)- Neck slit, kill credited to Alec, the one who held the sword.

Killed: 20th

Kill Count: 1

District 11 girl (Lemon(Glitch)-16)- Fell out of tree, kill credited to Mason, it was his fault for chasing them in the first place.

Killed: 17th

Kill Count: 0

District 12 boy (Oak-15)- KIA, first day, kill credited to Stella.

Killed: 5th

Kill Count: 0

District 12 girl (Lelia-14)- KIA, first day, kill credited to Allia.

Killed: 7th

Kill Count: 0

* * *

So, yeah. This was pretty fun to make. I had to think of a lot of different names. Is this the end? No. I already said this, but I'm going for that Socratic discussion format. So, that was just the past, now we get into the juicy stuff that I really need to edit. I looked back on them last night, and I need to add a lot more detail. And fix a lot of grammatical errors. But don't worry! I hope to have the whole thing up at most by the end of December. Key words at most. I hope you enjoyed the stat. page! You don't have to review this chapter, but if you want to feel free! Thank you all for reading! :D


	18. Chapter 17: Almost There

Disclaimer: Though it is well known by now, I do not own the Hunger Games.

Haha. So the story continues. Don't worry, I tell you when the last chapter is.

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My eyes fluttered open. I leaned up in the bed that I was lying on; it was different from the one I was in when I was riding in the hovercraft. I was back in the training center. I was wearing nothing but a thin, soft, white robe. I shift uncomfortably, not used to having so little weight on me. I blink several times, letting the light sink into my eyes. Then did I notice that I was surrounded by Mayle, my mentor and stylist. I tried to hide my look of surprise when I saw their demented faces starring down at me. "She's awake!" Shrieked Mayle, with a renewed interest in her voice. I guess since I'm a victor I now classify as human. Joy, what an achievement that is.

My stylist walked over, and hugged me. His fluffed up purple hair brushes my face. All my muscles tensed at his contact. My nose scrunched as I tried not to sneeze. He withdrew and held me by the shoulders. "I, Fortinbras, knew that you were going to win the whole time. I never doubted you for a second. It was all in my costume work, that, and that alone, is what made the crowd adore you." Loathing filled me. He dare, after ignoring my very existence and not even trying to help me, take full responsibility for my victory?

My mentor brushed him aside and resumed his place. "Shut up, Fortinbras! You did nothing to help the girl. If you did anything, it was to contribute towards demise. I am the one she should thank for her victory. If it wasn't for my support in the arena, and the carefully planed strategy that I told her to follow, she surely wouldn't have lived." What support?! The pin!? I would have easily lived without that! It was the teenagers that died in the arena that I owed my life to, not these buffoons. And what was he saying about strategy?! Because whatever it was, he sure could have told me before entering the arena. The nerve of these people!

I might as well have been filled with fire. I stared at them with a look of complete loathing. My mentor returns that look to me, and starts to say something. Mayle takes a stand for me, "Oh, look, she is too gratified to even speak! How sweet, don't you think Tybalt?" He drops his gaze and grunts in reluctant agreement. She dare say that I speak in gratitude? I'm about to stare her down as well, then I realize, the self-centered Tybalt might have done something vile if she hadn't spoken otherwise. My internal fire was quenched. I guess I should thank Mayle for that one. She saved me from a rather unsavory outcome.

I nod my thanks, to let her know I understood what she did. She gives me an appreciative smile. Tybalt speaks on his behalf, "Well, at least I don't have to put up with training these brats anymore, just to have the district blame me for their death. Even though it was their children that were so weak. That is all up to you now. I can just go home and relax from now on." Right, now that I was victor, I took Tybalt's place as mentor. Not fun. Especially because I would be blamed if I failed. Or, perhaps I wouldn't, maybe that criticism was just for Tybalt.

Mayle interrupts before I can comment. "Enough chit-chat. The recapping is tonight. We need to get you ready, make you look presentable. Fortinbras, the floor is yours."

"It's always mine." Fortinbras smiles, grabs my arm, and helps me out of the bed. It's a good thing he does have my arm; once my feet are planted on the floor, I stumble, and would have fallen if it weren't for his support. "A bit unsteady? Don't worry, that will were off before tonight. I would simply die if you trip and tare the dress I made." I need to remind myself to keep loathing these people. They only pay me attention now that I was a somebody.

I was led to a room that I was prepared in before the interviews. Along the way, I regained the confidence in my legs, and by the time we reached the room, I was able to walk by myself. I was directed to sit in a white couch in the center of the room. Fortinbras left the room to retrieve something.

I couldn't help but think that this was all a dream. It seemed unreal; almost two weeks in the arena; and I had survived it all. I looked to my arms, to see the scars that remained. I almost jumped when I saw that there wasn't a trace of the injury that caused me so much trouble in the arena. I felt like part of my identity had been erased. Like my memories had been stolen. I couldn't help myself; a tear fell down my cheek and landed on the palm of my left hand. I wiped it on the robe.

Fortinbras returned at that moment, slamming the door behind him to make sure that I took notice of his entrance. He took no notice of any remnants of my tears. He was holding a black bag that probably concealed my dress for the recapping, a ignorant grin planted on his face. Probably more burnt wood, I think in my head. But who knows, maybe his bipolar style personality shift also included a dramatic change in his sense of fashion. I hesitate, not wanting to communicate, but curiosity overwhelmed me. "More burnt wood?" I inquired.

Fortinbras laughed, as if that was the silliest remark ever stated. "No, no, no. How could you think of such? I'm a professional, I don't want to ruin my status in the fashion industry by presenting you in something as ridiculous as that." I roll my eyes irritated. Did he even try to deny what he did earlier? He doesn't notice my irritation, because he is unveiling my dress.

I bit my lip to hold in my gasp. It has a straight crop on the top, with spaghetti straps. The end looked layered, the first layer starts at what I think would be my knee, and kept up five layers until the last would fall around my mid-calf. It's paper white, and has what looks to be cursive written all over it. It is made of silk, the soft, luxurious material that my family had never been able to afford. But what does it have to do with District 9? Fortinbras answers my question before it escapes my lips. "Paper is created by wood." Oh. I get it. Loose connection, but I get it.

I hesitantly take the robe off, and take the dress from him. I slip it on over my head. It's soft, or maybe not soft but smooth; and it flows down me elegantly, like snow. I don't know why it reminds me of snow. Why couldn't he make something like this before the Games?

"Ok. I have got to do something with your hair." He moves behind me and starts to brush it out with a comb he produced from his pocket. Once my hair appears to be free of tangles, which it mostly already was, he divides it into two sections and flips one over my right shoulder. He starts to French braid the left. Not familiar to the tug on my hair, my hand reaches up to hold it down. "Just relax." I take a deep breath and try to concentrate on a happy place. Only, I can't think of a happy place. But my search for one keeps me occupied. Once finished, he ties it with a white ribbon, and repeats the same to the other side. Every piece of hair was in place, even the one strand of hair that fell out during the arena still was held back by the butterfly clip. It seemed to uniform to me.

He once again doesn't put on makeup. He doesn't think it compliments my image. I look at myself in the mirror. I looked younger then I normally do. Maybe ten or nine. I looked small, innocent and helpless. Far from what the arena changed me to. A frown creeps its way onto my face. I didn't like looking like this, it makes me feel how I look, but I suppose I shouldn't object. I reversed the frown, and acted like I loved the way I looked. Fortinbras smiled with delight, and clapped his hands. He went like that for less than a minute, then a serious look, or serious for him, took over his face. "Ok, let's get you to the stage; the ceremony will begin at any moment."

I'm ushered down to the first floor on the training center. Mayle and Tybalt meet up with us and direct me through a door. It leads under the stage where I will review the recapping of the events. First to go up will be Tybalt, then Mayle, then Fortinbras, followed up by me. I'm lead to a metal plate that will bring me to the stage, much like the one at the beginning of the games. The one where the interrogations where held.

I hear cheering. Adrenaline starts to pump through my body. I see the others on separate platforms. Tybalt's name is called, and his starts to rise. When he disappears from my view, the crowd's cheering becomes chaotic. Somebody, probably Augustus, manages to calms them down. Then Mayle's name is called, and her platform rose, more cheering, followed shortly by Fortinbras. I was next.

The wild cheering of the crowd completely disappeared. My name was called. The platform began to rise. I looked down to my feet, and swallowed. I soon had to face forward though. It took ten seconds before it locked in place on the stage. Until then it was silent, then there was a mad outburst of screaming and cheering my name. Yelling congratulations, and just making noise. I totally and completely hated it. It gave me a headache. Lights were flashing, and music was playing loudly. A cloud of mist was surrounding my ankles. I could see the others collected in a corner of the stage.

For a terrifying second, I had no idea what I was supposed to do. Then I saw Augustus, hair still blood red, center stage, with a single chair beside him. I let out a sigh of relief and walked over there. I couldn't remember if I should sit, so I just stood there by the chair, and waited to see if he would motion me to sit down. He didn't.

Augustus waited a few minutes for the crowd to release their energy. When they kept going, he raised both of his hands to silence them. It took a few minutes, but they managed to hush to a quiet and the anthem played. Out of the corner of my eye I saw President Heat entered the stage, followed by a little girl in a white dress carrying a purple pillow with silver trimmings, topped with a crown. I turned to face that way.

President Heat was an old man with grey hair streaked with red. He would die soon, because even in the Capitol, people didn't live forever. President Heat had been the president for the past sixty years. He had made his impression on the country. Everyone hated him. The Games were said to be his idea.

It was also said that it was because of him that there were surprises interweaved in the Games. This I knew was true. Every twenty-five years there would be something called the Quarter Quell. They would have different themes that would make them even worse than the regular Games. I had an uncle who worked on the project of creating them. He told my father what they all were before he was murdered for treason. They never found out that we learned what they were.

President Heat stopped to my left. They had started to cheer when he entered the stadium, and they quieted once he was in a position to speak. "Congratulations, Glynn Sail, Victor of the 11th Hunger Games! We are glad to present you with the gifts that come with your accomplishment! We are also filled with joy to present your district with gifts for the next year!" He called, his voice echoing around the whole area. Until that point, it was almost perfect silence, the cheering unfortunately resumed. President Heat took the crown from the pillow. The little girl retreated back to the shelter of backstage. I wish that I could follow. He placed the crown on top of my head. He met my eyes, and smiled a pleasantly forced smile on his face. His eyes were filled with distrust. He probably thought I would do something stupid. Maybe we aren't so different after all. Well, other than the fact he was evil, but we still lack trust for other people. I couldn't help the grin that came upon my face. The distrust in his eyes settled once I relaxed a bit.

The crown was silver, and rather small, so it could fit my twelve-year-old head. It was made of metal flowers, vines and butterflies. Almost like it was made to match my gift in the arena. It was beautiful, really. But it was too much a reminder of those lost in the arena. Especially Glitch, District 11 was agriculture. It was like they wanted to hurt me by reminding me constantly what happened, and I never would forget what happened. And I would never forget how to get my revenge.

President Heat allowed one last round of applause, and went back to where he came from. It was almost like he was never there. Augustus stepped back next to my side, and gestured to the seat. I hesitated, then sat down. The crowd was hushed once again. "Ladies and Gentlemen, let the reliving of these incredible Games begin!" The music faded into the background. The lights dimmed, my chair turns to face the back of the stage.

I was struggling to control my regular breathing. I just noticed that there was a screen in the back, the one that was going to show me my worse memories again. It was completely blacked out. Unfortunately for me, I don't think that it was going to stay that way. But for a little part of that moment, I could hope. Hope that it would stay that way forever, swallowing me away from the rest of the world for an eternity. The screen started to light up, and the recap was about to begin. An upbeat music started to play. I tried to look away, but I couldn't, I wasn't allowed. I had to watch what happened. Again.

* * *

Sorry I didn't update this weekend, I was working on a paper for Inquiry. To make it up, I will post as much as possible this week. I have... about seven chapters after this. I might even finish the story this week!!! Haha. I have an idea for another story, deaths of the first Hunger Games. That way I can write short chapters and switch views. I also wrote a one chapter story of Clove. Hmmm.... well maybe I should just finish this first. I still want to be in the movie. I was told there were auditions in January, and others say the auditions were already. I hope the later is right. :D Thanks for reading! Thank you to all who have reviewed! Sorry I don't reply... maybe I should do that, I'm starting to think that it is rude. Oh well, Review anyway! There is a fourty-five percent chance that I will reply! :D


	19. Chapter 18: Reliving

Disclaimer: Why do we even need to add a disclaimer? It is obvious that none of us own the books. Oh well. I do not own the Hunger Games.

* * *

Three hours. That's how long they sum the Games up in. That's how long my misery last, how long I'm stuck in a state of unknown. Images started to flood onto the screen. They start with clips that come from the events before the Games, events that hold some happiness, events that start with the Opening ceremony. They didn't show the reapings, they never had. They aren't considered part of the Games. They show bits of the arrival to the Capitol.

I see them all there, smiling and waving. Looking happy, being alive. I notice things now that I wouldn't have before. Glitch keeping her distance from Tannor, while he looks at her with regret. Mason glancing over at Valirie, blushing and smiling when she returns his gaze. Blake was standing almost protectively over me, hovering unsmiling in the chariot as if he would kill anyone who would hurt me. And he did, says the voice in my head. They show all the chariots and costumes of the Ceremony, then they cut to the interviews.

During the interview portion, they show at least one question for each tribute. While they do so, they make it so that the training score shows in the left side of the screen. I hear once again why the tributes think that they will win. The word that sticks out the most is the word think. They are all smiling as they talk, forced smiles, but they aren't in danger during the interviews. Then they begin the Games, that is the worst and longest part.

The person who puts together the video gets to choose a story to set the recap towards. It can be a story of false identity, bravery, stealth, courage, or intelligence. This was the story of guardianship. Of people helping a little girl survive. I was the main character, but there were a lot of leading rolls. It can be debated that there wouldn't be a story without those roles.

They start the Games with showing us all lined at the Cornucopia. Showing us rise from the ground, and cut around to all of our faces in a dramatic effect. They then fade out and show the layout of the arena. It's huge. Larger than I would imagine. I start to wonder how we all managed to find each other in the end.

The gong rings and we run in. I bite my lip. So the death begins. It switches to different views, capturing everyone in their prime moments. But some are shown in their falling moment. I see as I saw that day, several take to the forest immediately. Those are mostly the ones who died within the first two days. I get to see what the true plan of the others was.

Glitch runs towards the knives, as I assumed. On her way there she grabs her pack in a fluent motion. Once she has her knives, she takes to the forest; avoiding a fight. Blake runs to the spears. But he also picks up an axe in the process. He holds up a fight for a while, injuring several Careers, picks up several more supplies, and gets out of there. Not killing anyone.

Mason and Tannor run in and each get there choice in weapons. They stand back to back and start to hold out a battle. They stay at the Cornucopia even longer than the Careers. I see who kills the nine that fell that day. Most were murdered by Careers. Others took to the savage side and killed the weaker tributes. All the while they made sure to capture all of the deaths.

Unfortunately, they show my mishap with the baby alligator. I looked even more shocked then I thought. They switch to others traveling. I see now that Glitch was following me in the forest, knives ready to protect whenever necessary. It switches to the Cornucopia. Mason and Tannor were stalking up on supplies, while the Careers were angrily treating their wounds in the distance, too weak to fight anymore, but too stubborn and stupid to move away from the Cornucopia. Lucky for them that Mason and Tannor were too tired to hold up a fight anyway.

I saw Glisten and Stella trekking threw the forest. Stella's hand was severely injured. Yet they were still laughing and having a good time. They had killed two at the Cornucopia. Even so, I really wish that I had met them. But then it would be even harder to see them now. It would be the same pain that raced through me when I saw Glitch, Mason, Tannor, and Blake. Once it reached night, they showed the tributes settling down. Mason and Tannor had found their hide out. Everyone else had found places to hide, in trees, or under.

The Careers were kicking through their supplies. Mason and Tannor had poured out all the water they couldn't carry, and destroyed all the excess food by dumping it into the water surrounding the Cornucopia. The Careers weren't able to fight back. They were not happy. They cut through to events of the next day.

The next they showed was the District 10 girl, Akaria I learn her name is, sleeping on the base of a mangrove root when she falls into the rising water. She sloshes around for what seems to be a minute. The alligator swims up and grabs her before she can get out of the water. She screams. Tyren, the boy from 8, came to investigate. Akaria holds her hand in one last effort of life, but he shakes his head and moves back to the trees, Akaria's hand goes limp and falls back into the water as she gives up any hope of survival.

The events unfold as she moves by my tree, dies, and I go to clean out the alligator. Glitch is watching me the whole time. Later I see Tyren surrounded by Careers and killed by a mace through the head. Who knew Electa had the weapon of choice as a mace? I see that they started to hunt him once Akaria's cannon fired. They must have figured that a tribute killed her.

I kept watching, interested to see what I missed, but disgusted by the events that unfolded. They kept playing what happed. I see the Careers grab their weapons and head to the forest, scouting the trees, and spotting us. I see Glitch and me team up in that split instant and start to run. I see how brilliant my plan of the pythons really was. The Careers had yet another argument once Glitch and I left. Mason was the one spying on them at that point.

They skipped ahead until we saw Stella and Glisten sitting in the mangrove forest. Stella was sick. Glisten wasn't much better, but she at least still was conscious. Mason and Tannor came upon them. "Please. End this." Whispered Glisten. Mason nodded. He drove his sword through Glisten. Tannor drove his spear through Stella. There twin cannons fired.

Then is switched to the families of the remaining tributes. Final eight, I forgot they interviewed families when they got there. I never paid attention at that point. No one from District 9 ever made it that far. They got a statement excerpted from each of the families or friends.

A girl my age, who looked like a mini version of Glitch, so I supposed she was Lime said, "Glitchy is going to make it. She is smart. She promised she would come back." A look of distress filled her eyes. "But then again, I think a lot of people made the same promise." Tears started to well in her eyes. I wanted to scrunch down in my seat, become smaller than I was.

A boy who looked exactly like Mason, so I guess it was his twin or his brother, the name I learned to be Marvin stated, "Mason is bloody brilliant. If anyone can make it, he can. He won't hesitate to make a decision when the time comes." He surely seemed to hesitate a lot to me.

A sixteen year old girl, name Mags, from District 4 had a comment that was filled with confidence, "My sister is the best fighter. Ever. She has been preparing for this her whole life. I'd like to see tree girl beat that." Yeah, she was the best all right. Tree girl… she was either talking about Glitch or Me. Were we the only ones considered a threat?

Alec's best friend, a gorgeous boy with bronze hair explained, "Alec is good in a pressurized situation. He won't let his emotions get in the way when it matters anything important." Yeah, shows what you know.

An old women from District 1, Demetri's grandmother, was a horribly distraught and confused. It almost made me sad when I heard her say, "Demetri is gone? When is he coming back? Tell him to be back soon, I need him to help me with something." I wonder how she is going to accept that Demetri is gone forever.

A middle-aged man with dark skin who I figured was Tannor's father, "Tannor is no idiot. He'll make it back. He knows how to fight his way through things." Tannor, no idiot? No disrespect to the dead, but yeah right!

Blake's mother was speaking on his behalf. I had met her on occasions, but I didn't know her well. She was kind, but she was rough. I always pictured her forming a rebellion. "I hope he comes back. I really do. But I think he has a different objective in mind." So she knew. I felt consumed in guilt.

My father was the one who had a comment for me. Who else was there to speak on my behalf? "Glynn has been lucky. She wouldn't be able to do so well otherwise." I was devastated. Did he say that about me? "But I hope her luck withstands." I smiled.

Back to the games. Mason calling to Tannor, thinking that he saw the Careers. Tannor headed back to the hide out, because he wasn't fast and would get in the way. Me and Glitch running, Glitch falling. I close my eyes before the moment comes, but I'm too late. Glitch dies. Pain fills me. My throat dries out, and feels like it has no end. I slide down the tree. My face is more desperate than usual. Mason fixes my arms. He disappears in the woods.

This time, I get to follow to see where he goes to. Back to the hideout. This moment is theirs. I know that this was a big deal. The audience is hushing each other. Tannor is there waiting, sharpening his spear. "So, kill any of the Volunteers?"

Mason shakes his head. A look of remorse on his face, and swallows. "They call them Careers."

Tannor looks confused. "Wait, I heard a cannon. And who calls them Careers? Who died?"

Mason shook his head again. "Glitch. And the little girl, Glynn. Glitch came up with the name, so I was told." He didn't say who died exactly. Tannor was too stupid to realize who did. Or maybe he was just too reluctant. I don't think Mason wants to break the news to Tannor that Glitch died.

Tannor looked at him funny. "You ran into Glitch? How is she? She is with the little girl?" Mason closed his eyes, and took a deep breath. No more avoiding the question.

"Yeah. She was in the trees with the girl. They teamed up. Glitch…fell. That was the cannon. The girl slid down the tree and cut up her arms. I fixed them for her, but, I couldn't do anything for Glitch. I'm sorry, man." Tannor's face filled with rage. But he didn't explode. He sunk to the ground, and started to weep. Mason walked next to him. And started to pat his back.

"This is all your fault." Whispered Tannor.

"Just like Valirie." Says Mason with the same amount of remorse. The scene jumped to the Cornucopia.

The argument was the same the second time around. The fire not as magnificent on the screen. Then I got to see Mason single-handedly take on the remainder of the Careers. He jumped out from behind the trees and took them totally by surprise. Demetri was wearing two packs, and started running around, looking behind other trees. It was total chaos. Once he realized there wasn't anyone else, he went to help. Mason left one cut on Demetri's arm and took off back to the woods. The whole time Allia was just standing in the background watching.

Demetri's death. Tannor and Mason talking of who it could be, they were betting on who they thought it was. Tannor had his money that it was me, Mason thought it was Alec. They both were wrong. I saw Allia and Alec talking of feast. It was pretty boring. But it was still painful to watch, knowing what was to happen once the feast was called.

The next events were familiar. Tannor sneaking up on me. I see that he was thinking about leaving, then coming behind me. Mason fixing my arm. Us making the plan. The only thing new is that I see Allia and Alec were doing the same, they had guessed what we were going to do.

Once I was asleep, I got to hear what Mason and Tannor talked about. "Why?" asked Mason suddenly.

"Why what?" Tannor replies innocently, avoiding an immediate answer.

"Why did you bring the girl back here?" Mason referred to me as girl. It made me feel as if he really didn't want me to tag along with them.

"You helped her before, figured you could help her again." Mason shook his head. He knew he wasn't getting the whole story, but he no longer asked any more.

I relived the moments of the Cornucopia. I saw Blake hiding in the other side of the forest watching the same thing. It was just as terrible to watch the second time as it was the first. Except I saw Mason's death in more vivid detail. It was terrible. Allia seemed to know exactly where to cut in order to inflict the most pain. I wanted to close my eyes. Escape.

After I fell into unconsciousness, which I learned to be two days, I saw Allia hunting. Well, tracking actually. She ran into Blake. Blake fended her off with his spear. She was good, but distracted. She made simple mistakes. He delivered a deathblow to her skull. He took one of her knives and hid it in his shirt. He headed to the Cornucopia, a day walk from where he was. Her cannon fired along the way. You see me bolt awake.

Blake waiting at the Cornucopia. Me looking from the edge of the trees. Our conversation. Everything that happened in the end of the Games. I let a sob release from me. I thought it would be alright at that moment, it only lasted a few minutes. It seemed to be the longest part. It ended with me at the edge of the water, the sun at an angle so that light caught on the dust and illuminated me like an angel. End video. The music fades out and the lights return.

With the lights returned the cheering. I heard none of it. I was still stuck in the silent world of the Games. Augustus dismissed me, "Give it up one more time for Glynn Sail, Victor of the 11th Hunger Games!" I stood up, bowed, more cheers, and Mayle came and directed me off stage. I was in a haze that I felt I would never wake from.

Silently we went back to floor 9. When the elevator door opened she released my arm. I walked ever so slowly to my room. Once there I plopped on the bed, still in my dress. My head still topped with the crown. I was feeling guilty for all of the doubt that I had exposed to the others. They all tried their hardest to help keep me alive, and what did I do? I distrusted them, and eventually got them all killed. The whole thing isn't even over yet. I still had to say what I thought of my victory. Why me?

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Sorry if there are a lot of mistakes, this was a boring chapter to write. But necessary. And it was rushed. I did that on purpose. Maybe. Um... I've edited every chapter until the last one. So yeah, I might be able to finish this week. So, I hope you are enjoying. Thanks to all who have reviewed :D. Feel free to review this chapter, I really like reading reviews, they make my day :D.


	20. Chapter 19: Interview

Disclaimer: The Hunger Games still doesn't belong to me. And at the rate I'm going it never will.

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I was allowed to sleep in the next day. There were no important events in the morning. I went down to breakfast when I felt like it. Nobody talked to me. I was still in my silent little world that I had escaped to during the recapping. And no one bothered to take me out of it. No one seemed to expect different. Mayle ushered me off to Fortinbras when it was time to get ready for the final interview. More like the first interview though. They interrogated us before. Now they interview.

I was given a dress much like the one I wore yesterday, only it was more of a blue tint. My hair was done in the same way as yesterday. The only thing different was that I wore my crown this time, and some hair was woven around it to prevent it from moving, or slipping. Fortinbras wished me luck, and Mayle returned. Tybalt was nowhere to be seen.

Once she saw that I was ready, she escorted me to the sitting room, where Augustus and a few camera people were the only ones there. At least no cheering. I sat on the chair and curled into a ball, using my arms to hold my legs close to my body. Then I looked to Augustus to see if I wasn't to sit like that. "Go ahead, it is interesting to see personality and emotions through ones posture." I nodded and continued, though I would probably have to sit up to answer questions.

A cameraman counted back on his fingers, from five to two, then silently called out one. Augustus started out, "Welcome back, citizens of Panem! This is the final interview with Glynn Sail, District 9!" At least it wasn't as loud as yesterday. Augustus voice echoed through the room. I loosened my legs and allowed them to fall to the floor. I meekly waved to the camera.

Augustus went to sit on a chair that was facing mine at an angle. I took a deep breath. No one had prepared me for this. They didn't think they had to. I just had to answer, and try not to offend the Capitol too much. Watch my tongue. "So, Glynn, what does it feel to be the first victor of District 9?" The first question slid into my conscious.

I think into my head, what does it matter if all I have come to know are dead? Unfortunately, I cannot say that. What was underneath all of that sorrow? "It gives me a sense of accomplishment. I would never believe anyone if they told me I would be a victor up until now, much less the first for 9." I still didn't have an angle to play, but at this point, what does it matter? I don't need anyone to love me now. Unless I live to be 101.

Augustus smiles. "And I would presume that the same would be for the fact that you are the youngest victor ever?" Youngest, I had almost forgot. Up until now, the youngest Victor had been fifteen.

I smiled politely, as if unsure to let any of my emotions go. "Yes, the same deal with that."

Augustus nods in acceptance, "Let's get back to the Games. Did you know that so many would try to help you?" No. How could I? I was pretty sure that the whole point was to kill me to preserve their own lives.

"I had no idea so many people cared about me, I just wish they were still here with me. I will truly miss them; they were some of the nicest people I have ever met." I looked at Augustus' face. He seemed to be searching for something. That might have been a bit on the edge of acceptable. I think that he meant to talk of those in the Capitol that helped, my 'Sponsors'.

Augustus knew how to turn it around though, "Yes, they were remarkable children. But they got that way by sacrifice. Which brings me to my next question, what were you feeling when you watched Lemon fall?" I feel like I'm at a therapist. _'And how do you feel that everyone you know and love is dead?' 'How the hell do you think I feel?' 'Um-hum, um-hum. I'm sensing some angst in your tone'_

I gulp. I don't want to talk about it. Pain welds up in my chest. I think of her fall, me unable to help. My voice is low when I say, "Her name is Glitch, but only her friends can call her that. When she fell, I felt like I was stuck in molasses. I couldn't reach her, no matter how hard I tried."

Augustus wanted more, even though he probably knew that he shouldn't push any further, "What about when you slid down the tree, and held her head in your lap?" Ok, on the verge of tears here, you might want to let off a bit.

I managed to choke out an answer before bursting out crying, "I wanted…I thought that I might help her. Maybe it wasn't too late. Maybe that was another cannon. Maybe she was still alive. Maybe-" I couldn't finish. I flooded with tears and sobs. My face flooded with emotion, but my mind still clear. The Capitol must be loving this. Augustus leaned over to pat my back, to comfort me. No one can comfort me. There comes a point when loss is too great to be comforted.

I continued to cry for ten minutes, letting out all the sorrow and guilt that had been huddled inside since the beginning of the Games. Unfortunately for me, the interview couldn't be me crying the whole time. Once I wiped my tears and choked in my remaining sobs, Augustus continued, more sympathetic than before. "So, has your impression changed on Tannor? Or do you still think he is an idiot?" A question strayed from death. This is slightly better.

"Idiot. Definitely. I have to respect him, he is brave, and he turned out not to be what I expected. But he was still and idiot." Augustus let out a laugh, and I joined him halfheartedly. At least I wasn't in such a miserable state now.

The interview continued like that, Augustus strayed from any talk of death, as to not set me off anymore than I already was. He asked me questions on how I thought of the others, what I would have done different, and what I would have done if I had superhuman powers. It was probably the most immature interview ever taken place, and that will ever take place. But I know it will always be my favorite. After the first part, it has nothing to do with my dying friends.

After two hours, the interview was over, ending as fast as it started. As I reflect, it could have been much worse. Augustus congratulated me personally once the cameras were off, and Mayle came to retrieve me. She took me to the dining room, where I ate lunch. Fortinbras decided that his dress was a work of genius, and decided I could continue to wear it the rest of the day. He also was happy that I wasn't a messy eater, because I wore the dress when I ate my lunch. Then was rushed to President Heat's mansion by Mayle for the final event that I had to attend in the Capitol.

After a victory in the Games, the victors are invited to the mansion for a party, to celebrate that they lived. When I say invited, I mean forced, because you have no choice. There were people were walking up to me, congratulating me, and taking their pictures with me. Since it involved being social with senseless, egocentric monsters, it was pure misery for me. At some points I was able to slip away to get something to eat, but at others I was cornered by officials in the Capitol, shining over my victory. All I could do was smile and nod, and try to act like I didn't hate them all. That task is even harder when you're hungry.

It was finally over at midnight. I was brought back to the Training Center for my last night in the Capitol. Well, at least until the Victory Tour. And when I had to mentor other tributes…never mind. The Capitol won't leave your life once you are a victor. It will just become more imminent.

My last night was filled with nightmare. Of what I think to be the future, or perhaps one of the past. Fire, bombs, and gunshot. Dead all around. Yet, there seemed to be a fight that was still taking place. One that wasn't over until the last man stood. Not over until one side reached victory. I dreamt of a rebellion.

I woke when the sun was rising over the top of the Capitol. I rubbed my eyes and headed for the dining room. Mayle was talking to a government official. She pursed her lips at something he said. I moved closer to hear what they were saying. Then she nodded. He left, and she noticed me standing there. I didn't hear any of the conversation, but I wished that I had.

I avoided her gaze and collected food for my breakfast. I started to eat, when Mayle started to talk, "So, today you go back to District 9, excited?" I am, but I bet you're not.

I swallow down the food that I was just eating. "Very. Will Tybalt be accompanying us?" I hope that the answer is no. But from past experience, asking for something repeatedly in my head never works. I pick up a roll and take a bite.

Mayle looks in disgust. "No, of course not. And you are not to say his name again." I stop chewing my bread and look up to her. When she meets my gaze, I quickly turn back down. Wow. Interesting turn of events. I wonder why I can't say his name again. I probably shouldn't ask though, so I just nod to let her know I understood.

Once I finished breakfast, I was told to get dressed in something comfortable, so I went to my room and picked out a black shirt, and some dull green pants. I didn't have anything to take but my crown and my pin, so I went ahead and put those both on my head. I walked out of my room. I didn't look back. I would be returning soon enough. It held to many memories, but I guess that is the point of me returning every year.

Mayle was waiting impatiently in front of my room. Once she saw me standing there, she made a gesture with her hand to signal me to follow. She led me down the hallway, where I was intercepted by Fortinbras. He hugged me, all teary eyed, and gave me a gift.

It was another silver clip for my hair. Except, instead of a butterfly, there was a mockingjay in full flight. Fortinbras wiped a stray tear from his heavily highlighted eyes. "I wish I could give you something. But this is from Tybalt. He said to give it to you before you left. He thought it would match your other pin. Don't forget, stay beautiful while I'm gone." While he's gone? Doesn't he mean while I'm gone? Self-centered much.

And what was with the mockingjay? I hesitate before putting it into my hair, but do so eventually. I had my butterfly on the left, and my mockingjay on the right. Mayle looks at the pin, unsure that I should be wearing it, but says nothing and allows it. She leads me down the elevator to the ground floor, and from there to a car.

The car takes us to the train station. There are crowds at the station, but I ignore them until Mayle jabs me in the stomach, so I start to wave and smile pleasantly. I stop instantly once we reach the tinted safety of the train. I go to the window. They are still there, but they can't see me. They continue to cheer though. Without another glance, I head to my room.

The two day train ride home is filled with me moping around and avoiding conversation. The only person I could talk to was Mayle, since talking to an Avox would have the result of talking to myself. I really didn't want to talk to Mayle. I wanted to talk to Blake, Tannor, Mason, Glitch, or even Hayven. I wanted to talk to someone who understood. Not Mayle, who was convinced the world revolved around her.

The good thing was that no one expected me to act differently. To put it like Mayle, I could mope all I wanted, just be ready for the cameras as to not make her look bad. So I ate in silence, asked for things in silence, and paced up and down the corridors of the train in silence. Thinking of my friends. Thinking of the memories that were most painful. Memories I didn't want to forget. If I forget what events made me, I forget who I am.

When we pull into the station, I'm ready. I've cried myself out, and can now act happy and put on a smile for my dad. Mayle stands behind me. I hear a commotion outside the train, so I know it's swarming with reporters. I take a deep breath. The doors open, and I'm consumed in blinding flashes.

I would have toppled over, but Mayle had her hand firmly planted on my shoulder. I blink twice and see him. My dad. Standing there, a rare smile on his face. I shrugged off Mayle and ran forward. Emotions run through me, but I'm unable to comprehend any of them. All I can think is that I'm home. No one's going to hurt me now. My dad embraced me with open arms. He didn't let go for what seemed to be hours. I didn't want him to let go. Finally, he pulled away, "I still can't believe you made it. I'm sorry I doubted you." I was too happy to care that he doubted me.

The funny thing about me, I find it hard to trust people. But once you have my respect, I will forgive almost anything. "It doesn't matter what you did think. That happened before. This is now. This is what matters, even though you should never forget what occurred previously." My dad smiled, and gripped my shoulder tightly. Blake's mom walked up to me and embraced me. For a second I thought she was going to stick a knife in my back because I was the cause of Blake's death.

"You did it honey, good job! Blake was convinced you were going to win. Don't be too hard on yourself, even if you tried you couldn't have changed his mind. That boy is so stubborn it drives me insane at points!" She laughed and I tentatively joined. I saw Blake's father storming angrily in the distance.

I'm looking at him when I say, "I'm sorry. Blake says to say that this is the best way. And that he tried. And he asked if you could forgive him." Blake's mom laughed, but it seemed a forced laugh. Like she was trying to be strong, trying to be kind, but she just couldn't.

"Of course. And you have nothing to be sorry about, so stop blaming yourself for it, and enjoy your victory! District 9 is finally on the playing field!" I nodded. My father left my side to talk to Mayle. Another person came up to me.

Twelve-year-old Quill Mayor. The mayor's son. His floppy dirty-blonde hair fell in front of one eye, while the other half was neatly tucked behind his ear. His green eyes seemed like they would never end if you fell into them.

"'sup Glynn, the one who I knew would win." He laughed at his cheesy little rhyme and I stared at him like he was insane. His laughing stopped abruptly. "I knew you would win. I had my money on you. Well, half my money was you would make it to the top eight. Other half that you would make it to the top three. Made a lot off of that. You're clever, and you had a reason. I planned on using the money from my bets for a gift. By the time I had enough for something, you had all the supplies you needed. So I settled on sending you a clip. Your hair seemed to be driving you insane. It looks pretty on you." He bit his lower lip, not sure what my reaction would be.

I smiled and hugged him. He looked like he was going to faint. "Thank you, Quill." He nodded, a blush still remaining on his cheeks, and left, too shocked to respond. I watched him go, and was scarred my new found friend wouldn't come back. Then I remembered that he would. This wasn't the Games. I didn't have to see everyone around me murdered. Except if they are in the reaping next year, says the voice in the back of my head.

My father comes to collect me. He takes me to my new home in Victor's Village. It was already furnished and ready. We could go get our personal belongings tomorrow. But in the meantime, the only thing important is that there is a tomorrow. And that everyone left who I know will be there. But peace won't last forever as long as the Capitol still stands.

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Ok, I'm a lazy person so I'm not going to waste five more seconds to tell you how many more chapters there are. I'll leave it a surprise. But, just to let you anticipate what's next, from now on the time gaps between chapters are just going to get longer and longer, and some chapters cover month long periods. Ugg... I have to annotate 98 pages of To Kill A Mockingbird, and it sucks 'cause I keep thinking mockingjay, and one day I will say that and everyone will look at me like I'm stupid. Enough of my complaining though, I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Thank you to all who have reviewed! Please review! It gives me means to procrastinate after school! Haha, I still want to be Katniss in the movie! Tomatoes taste good if you sprinkle them with salt! :D :D :D


	21. Chapter 20: Victory Tour

Disclaimer: Yeah. Not owning the Hunger Games.

Just so you know, now we start moving into the future. This is six months after the games.

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I was on a train, the train, headed for District 11. I had just visited 12 on my Victory Tour, the torturous social event created by the Capitol to ensure the people stay in line; by making them praise those who killed their children. The only people accompany me is Fortinbras and Mayle. That is, not including all of the Avoxs and guards. The train is rather boring. I almost feel sorry for Fortinbras; he has to stay in the train until we reach the Capitol. He is not allowed in the districts, the reason I think is to make sure he doesn't realize their status. But at least time passes quickly if you have a lot on your mind, and I for one surely fit into that category.

The past six months I had spent being a kid; climbing trees, hanging out with Quill, my new best friend, making some new friends, and getting into all sorts of trouble. Almost how I was before I lost Hayven. Almost like one calamity was needed to reverse the other. I've also seen my district drowned in riches. Mainly food. It is good that something good came out of this whole thing. I no longer had to attend school, but I chose to go anyway. I still had to choose a talent to take up my free time. I chose to practice video editing. I would take the video of the Games, freeze certain frames, and put them on special paper. It was like taking a picture.

I was surprisingly good at it. I had a really cool one of Mason fixing my arm, while Tannor looked like he was going to get sick. I looked at that one when I was sad or lonely. It always made me laugh. Some question why I chose to reflect on the Games. Wasn't it something terrible that you wanted to forget? Yes, I do want to forget. But I can't. So I might as well preserve my memories. I've also gotten pictures from other Hunger Games. I have a picture of Hayven. I rest my hand protectively on the bag that lays by my side.

I looked out the window. There were fields of green rushing by. It was winter, but it was still warm here. We should be there soon; we have been traveling the past day. We left District 9 five days ago. The day before yesterday we were in 12.

Suddenly, a huge gate appears over the horizon. District 11, agriculture. Here, I would get to meet the families of Tannor and Glitch. That was one of the things that they make the Victors do. Maybe I can see what the big deal is about alligator tasting like chicken. I get to meet the Victor of District 11. They also throw a feast in my honor.

Ten minutes later we reach the station. Stepping off the train, I almost gag. The air was so different. Like the swamp. It was humid. The air was saturated with water. It felt like drowning, like water was pouring into my lungs. I try to take a deep breath, regulate my breathing so I would no longer be gasping for air. Mayle takes no mind to my struggle and rushes me forward.

First thing we do is visit the families of the tributes. We do this in the Justice Center. That is what they call their town hall. Mayle and I are loaded into a car with tinted glass and driven there. Along the way, I see the giant area of District 11. There are people working in fields. District 11 is one of the larger districts. It takes fifteen minutes of travel to get to the Justice Building. Once we exit, we have Peacekeepers surround us. They lead us up the steps and to the door. There are Peacekeepers all around. Mayle goes to sit in a chair by the door, and preoccupies herself with her nails.

I look to the end of the room, I see them standing there. Lime, grin present just as Glitch's had always been, with her mother and father, who have gloomy looks shadowing over them. And what I think to be Tannor's father, filled with rage. Was that Tannor's only family? Maybe we weren't so different.

Lime runs forward and hugs me. At first my muscles tense, but they latter relax when I remember there is no threat. "I knew you would win! I knew it! You are fast, smart and amazing. And you proved that alligator does taste like chicken!" She laughed, but not a forced laugh like Blake's mom. I look at her puzzled. "Oh, no. I don't blame you for Glitchy's death. Not your fault." She waves it off with her hand, "Anyway, you tried to save her, so I should be thankful for that."

I smile, tentatively as I did with Blake's mom. I look behind her where the adults lay at bay. They had unforgiving looks etched on their faces. I looked down to my feet. "Thanks. I'm sorry. Should have tried harder." I swallow, wanting so desperately to change the subject. " What is the big deal about alligator tasting like chicken?" I glance up, wanting to see her expression.

Lime grinned. She really was the mini version of Glitch. Except that her right arm is in a bandage. I wonder what happened, but as many things that I have learned, I know better than to ask. "Inside joke. Can't tell. It is sorta like a secret. You can't tell nobody but those who already know." I laugh. We continue our weird and random conversation, laughing and joking around like friends that had known each other for years. After a while, it is like we have known each other for years.

Later on, when I'm about to leave, the adults come up to shake my hand, and do so with pure loathing pouring from their eyes. They weren't as forgiving as Lime. They would never look at me and see a human. Just a monster. I guess I am in a way. Tannor's father spoke "I can't believe I am to look into your face for the rest of my life as I watch the Games. You are a coward and know nothing of bravery and self-sacrifice. And you call Tannor the idiot." A Peacekeeper comes and takes his arm, and leads him away. I watch, not sure whether to be scarred or thankful. I shake it off. Time's up anyway. Then the rest have to leave, to go back to work.

I am escorted back to the car; it will take me to District 11's Victor's Village. Once we start to move, I ask Mayle a question that has been bothering me, "Will I ever be able to see Lime again, in the future?" I try to work it such a way that I don't sound too ignorant. It didn't work.

She looks at me, and after a while seems to register that Lime was one of the people I just met. "No, of course not. Travel between districts is forbidden, except on official business." I let out a sigh. The only way that I will see her is if she becomes a Victor. I sink into the seat. I hope that Lime doesn't enter the Games. That would suck to see Glitch die twice.

The ride to Victor's Village takes five minutes. Once there I'm unloaded, and allowed to meet the Victor without being spied on. Or as Mayle puts it, 'supervised'. It's a private meeting between the Victor and me. I walk up the steps, and shake the door handle, realizing that the door is unlocked. I step in.

The house is covered with wooden statues and carvings. I walk up and touch the one that is a butterfly resting on a flower. "Don't touch that!" A guy, about twenty-four, the victor of the third Hunger Games, yells from the top of the stairs. Rush Polar. He is fairly muscular, and has dark skin, brown eyes, and short cropped brown hair. He rushes down the stairs. "Kid, I don't think I let you in." Then why did you leave your door unlocked?

"I-"

"I know who you are. And sorry, didn't realize being Victor gave you the excuse to invade in personal property. Then again, the idiots in the Capitol have a retarded knack for producing ill-behaved children as victors." I look around in terror, scared that Peacekeepers will swarm in and take him away for saying such about the Capitol. He raises an eyebrow. "Don't worry. I've checked. The place isn't bugged. So what do you want?" I allow myself to relax just a little.

I reach into a bag on my side. I ruffle through the paper, and find the one that I want. It is a photo of Rush tripping backwards on a log. One of the things I've created with my talent. I hand it over to him. A grin spreads on his face. "Good times, good times." He chuckles.

I hand him a pen, my face expressionless. "I want you to sign it. And add something about the Capitol while you're at it. It is for my private collection." He nods, a devious look on his face, and signs.

"Did you get Siliana to sign, and write something?" Siliana was the Victor of the first Hunger Games. She is from District 12.

"Yeah." I take out a picture of Siliana sitting on the edge of the Cornucopia. Sunset behind her, glinting off of her long black hair. It was a beautiful picture from the first Hunger Games. I was going to frame all of the pictures later on. Rush read the caption that she wrote.

"Nice. Siliana is cool. Are you going to get everyone to sign one of those? For the other Victors in the future too?" I nod. "Cool. And you're going to show me what everyone writes for the Capitol, right?" I nod again. Hidden meaning. What he means to say is; tell who hates the Capitol and who doesn't.

"Great. Now get out of my house. See you next Games." With that he shoves me out the door. I hear a gunshot in the distance. I jump, and look around. It was too far away to be aimed for me. I spend about a half a second looking around before Mayle calls me. I don't have time to figure what that is from, and I know better than to ask during the feast.

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Each district had different customs. Some all you have to do is parade through the streets and meet previous Victors; that was all we did in my district. Others make you meet the families of those that you killed, and throw feast in your honor, and make you meet the Victors. Some even make you try a hand at working in their districts industry, and meet the Victors. No matter what other customs you must follow, you meet the Victors of the other districts. It is the one unwritten rule that everyone follows. That is to remind the others that the Games are ever present. There is no getting out of it.

So I made the best of it. I got the pictures signed and a comment about the Capitol was written by each Victor. Some laughed about the picture I got, others became angry. I made friends, and made some rivals. And I found what the other opinions on the Capitol where. Very few loved it, and most hated it. They knew that no one would ever look at my collection besides other Victors. So they wrote what they truly thought. Or at least some of them did.

I went through the districts, sometimes meeting families, sometimes not. Some that I met loathed me. Others were like Lime had been. Stella's family from eight was a group that loathed me. Mason's family from five was tolerant of my presence, but I knew that they would not hesitate if they had to kill me. I learned that Marvin really was Mason's twin. He was seemed pretty cool at first, then turned kind of arrogant, but he didn't stutter nearly as much. Things were ok so far. But four was up next. Allia and Alec's district. I was scared about that one. Mags and Alec's friend looked…scary.

When I exited the train, I could smell the sea breeze. It smelled like salt and seafood. Or maybe it is just the food that smells like the sea. But that is the only way I knew to describe it. I was loaded into a car. They drove me to the town hall of four. Along the way I get a glimpse of the ocean. It was amazing, with water splashing over shell-encrusted rocks. Why would you want to volunteer to leave this place?

I don't have to do much hear. I meet the Victor, and I get to meet the family of Allia and Alec. I hope that they aren't as evil as the people I met in the arena.

When I walked through the door, I almost jumped. She was right there. The sixteen-year-old girl who posed striking resemblance to Allia. Mags. She was strong and looked like she could crush me in a second. I was scared. There was a scowl printed on her face. Then I remembered that even if she wanted to, she couldn't hurt me. It would mean death to her. But that reassurance didn't keep me from trembling. I looked to the back of the room. Four adults were standing there. Radiating fury. I suppose I should stay where I am. Better to face one than four. Mags scowl fades, and she looks at me with a puzzled expression, "Don't worry, I'm not insane."

"What?" I ask, my words quick, stuttering and quiet.

Mags rolled her eyes. "I'm not insane. I believe my sister was. Surely you got the impression? Trust, your friend Blake did a favor killing her. She is better off dead. Well, maybe not her, but everyone else is. She was the apple of my parent's eyes. Well I'll show them next year." This girl seemed rather insane to me.

"You're going to volunteer?" My voice seemed to slow a bit, but not by much. I was nervous to where this girl was going with this.

"Yeah. You probably wouldn't understand. I sure as hell don't. It's complicated, bragging rights I guess." I look at her and nod as if I understand what she just said. I didn't follow half of it. She held up her hands as if to show defense.

"So, you don't care that your sister is dead, as in killed, as in never ever going to come back?" I ask this more for my benefit. Just to know why she was acting this way.

"Um… Why should I? Anyway, once you're Victor, no one cares who you killed. At least no one who understands the Game. Doesn't matter District either: you're all Victors." She kept rambling on about her sister, the Capitol, and her becoming a Victor, me nodding in false understanding. Then the Peacekeepers came to say time was almost up. "See you in the Capitol next year. And the year after that. And the year after that. So on until I die. Or until you die" Yup. This girl was crazy. At least she wasn't trying to kill me. Could have turned out worse, knowing her sister. I wonder if I really will have to put up with her for the rest of my life.

Once the Peacekeepers came to collect me, everyone left. Mags nodded goodbye. I didn't even get within a fifty mile radius of the adults. That was probably for the best, remembering Tannor's dad. That was the weirdest encounter I had of all the districts.

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In the last three districts I was hated by everyone. They didn't even bother to pretend to tolerate me. I met Demetri's grandmother, and learned that her distraught state of mind was merely a ploy. She was really a cold-hearted evil old lady. She had an interesting vocabulary for someone of her age. The Peacekeepers had to take her away.

The girl Victor, the one that I attacked when I was nine, seemed to vaguely recognize me. She said that she was sorry if she had gotten me in trouble. I told her it wasn't her fault. Water under the bridge. I was glad when that uncomfortable visit was over. But unfortunately, I had one more stop before returning home. The last to go to was the Capitol.

The Capitol throws parties. That's all. They don't have Victors, or even people with human endeavors to talk to. It's like being filled in a room with hundreds of Mayles and Fortinbras. Which is why I found it the worst. I hate parties, especially ones that I have no one to talk to but complete idiots. It was so much like the one that I attended six months ago. There were mountains of foods; yet I still only ate what was familiar. Some habits and superstitions never die.

The worst of the party was this one drink. It would make you throw up so that you could eat more. I personally didn't experience it, but I knew plenty in District 9 were on the verge of starvation. And in other districts. So how could I throw up what I had eaten when I knew that some of my friends would beg for half of what I had consumed?

I didn't dance. Tons asked me to. But I said that I wasn't feeling well, and that I was dizzy. This worked for the majority of the night. I sat in a chair in the corner of the room, and fell asleep there. I didn't even feel someone pick me up, but when I woke up, I was back in the train car, headed back home where I would have my final celebration. Final focus on me until the tables turned. Then focus will move forth to the next Games, and the next Victor.

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Hehe, this was fun to write. I try to match up personalities of characters created by other people (Mags), but sorry if it was a fail. Yeah. Sorry if there are any mistakes, but actually, I think that this is one of my better chapters. But that is my opinion. Feel free to leave yours. Thanks to all who have reviewed! Thanks to all who read! I still want to be Katniss in the movie! No, this is still not the end... yeah, three more chapters left. Hehe. Spoiler. Sort of. :D :D :D


	22. Chapter 21: Mentoring

Disclaimer: If it is not yet apparent, I do not own the Hunger Games.

Also, if it is not yet apparent, it's not that I am lazy and don't check over my work, I make spelling errors because I don't know how to spell. So, tell me if I make an error, and tell me how to fix it as well. I don't like mistakes, so it would be appreciated.

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I've been told that thirteen is an unlucky number. Up until now, I wasn't able to figure what made an object or idea lucky or not. Whenever I asked, people would tell me, "just look at what happened to District 13" and I would nod as if I understood. I never did. But sitting here now, at thirteen years of age, with the seemingly emotionless faces of my fellow District Nines staring up at me, I was starting to realize why it is such an unlucky number.

Legs shaking I stand up. "And, for the first time, we have the Victor Glynn Sail to announce! She will be the Mentor of the Twelfth Hunger Games, and maybe, with her help, we will have yet another Victor!" Mayor Mayor calls out, his voice booming across the square. For once, the population of District 9 erupts in cheer. I let the left corner of my mouth twitch up to form the weakest phase of a smile. The mayor sits down, and Mayle reaches up to the podium. The cheering dies, fading into the background ever so slowly, and I sit down.

"Females first!" Calls out Mayle in the same voice as she used before, during all of the previous reapings. I struggle to maintain my breathing. I wasn't even this nervous when it was my reaping. Maybe because I was only responsible for my life then. Mayle stalks up to the first orb. I close my eyes and raise my hand to the butterfly clip in my hair. "Nocturne Leigh!"

My head jolts up. I see the girl tremble out of the sixteen-year-old area. Her short black her hair not even long enough to tie up in a ponytail. She was larger than myself, but still no marvel of strength, no insanely fast animal, and no threat. Passing her in the halls at school, I recall her as smart and kind. If you dropped your books, she would pick them up for you. Even if it wasn't her fault you dropped them in the first place.

As she walked up to the platform, I could see that sorrow marked her face. She obediently walked up next to the podium, and stood there with her head down. Once she was settled, Mayle shouted out, "And do we have any female Volunteers?" Silence consumed the world as it always did. Nocturne had a sister. Innova, but she was my age. She wouldn't volunteer. I bite my lip, and try not to think of what was to come if I couldn't bring her sister back.

"Let's have a round of applause for Nocturne Leigh!" Applause consumes the crowd, but not as much as had been with Blake. I see Nocturne swallow, and try to maintain a straight face. I wish I could say something to comfort her.

"Onto the males then!" Mayle walks to the orb holding the names of the boys. Once again, I find myself reaching for my butterfly clip. Not Quill, I beg silently in my head. I would ask that the Hunger Games stop in total, but I feel that that might be a bit much. I bite my lower lip, a habit that I fear that I have developed.

"Korren Taya." I release the clip and struggle to hide my look of relief. A brown-haired boy emerges from the fifteen-year-old section. I don't know Korren personally. I've heard stories, none of which I think are true. I watch as he takes his place next to Nocturne, analyzing which would be the better to support. They both stand the same height.

I swallow. I can't make the decision. Not yet, anyways. But I knew that time would come when I would have to choose. Though, with my luck they probably won't make it into the first hour. I need to try my hardest though, for them.

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The crowds are headed off, so I make my way off the platform and to the train. My breathing seems to have steadied a bit, but I still feel shaken. I can't quite grasp the concept that I'm in charge of these guys lives. I can't really call them children because they are older than me. This will be awkward. I'm still in my world of fantasy when I'm intercepted by two figures. I look up to see the ever so tall Quill. Standing beside him is Innova. Innova looks sad, and Quill looks like he is suffering from nostalgia.

Innova wipes away some of her tears, and begins to speak. "Glynn, I know this is your first time as a Mentor, but please-_please_- try. We won't be mad if you…aren't successful, but you have to try. Please. She is my sister. I don't want to lose her." She looks into my eyes, but I turn away unable to hold her gaze.

I hear her let out a sob, "Please Glynn. Promise you'll try. If she needs help, send her something. Try. Give her signs of things to come, whatever you need. Just look after my sister." I look up, feeling like crying myself. I look over to Quill, who now has his arm around the sobbing Innova. He looks at me with the same expression as he held before.

"I can't promise. I'll try. I really will. I don't even know how I won, so I need to figure everything out. I will tell them all I know. I won't just give up on them." I'm looking at my feet when I say this.

"Can you tell me the same thing while looking into my eyes?" Challenges the grief-stricken Innova. I close my eyes for a brief moment, but open them almost as fast. I swallow any harsh words that I would have yelled had I not had so much self control.

"No." She lets out a sob. "I see only pain in people's eyes. I see all those who I have lost. I see lies and failure. I can't face that. I'm sorry. But I will try my hardest to bring your sister home. I swear to it." Head still down, I side-step her and Quill and head to the train.

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In the television room on the train we watch the recapping. I get to see the competition that I will never have to face. I spent most of the day in my chamber, still unable to face my tributes. Still unable to admit to myself that I can't do this, I can't be responsible for other people.

I take a deep breath and leave the room on the cart that is forever mine and walk into the room where I see the faces of those of who will be killed next. I open the door and I can tell that all of the others are in there. I slip through the door, trying but failing to remain unnoticed. "Look who decided to show up." Says Korren snidely. Nocturne glares at him for making such a rude remark and he returns the gaze. I ignore them and find a seat.

First they play the anthem, then they start recapping the reapings. I know not to underestimate people, a lesson that I learned last year. I have a general understanding of who will be threats, but I'm not sure. I guess I will have to consult my tributes to see who they think are the threats.

District Three produces a young boy who seems to talk to himself as if he was insane. He was quickly replaced by a larger boy, who turns to be his brother. That boy sticks out in my mind. Mags volunteers for District Four, just as she said, and almost instantly my hope of getting my tributes home is crushed. But, maybe it is still possible. Maybe Mags isn't as good as she thinks she is. Maybe she really is as insane as her sister. I could at least hope.

There is a twelve-year-old from five, who reminds me of both myself and Mason. I feel a pang of longing for those who were lost. I shut my eyes to prevent tears escape. Ten selects a set of twins, both look strong enough to crush my own. I take a deep breath. I needed to make a plan, and my plan-making skills were pretty suck-ish. And like that the recappings are over. I gulp once, and start to leave the room when Korren grabs my arm. My whole body tenses at the contact. "Shouldn't we discuss this? Talk about our competition? Try to form a plan?"

I look down, trying to figure how to say this as to not sound like I don't care. Aw, what the heck, put it short in simple, "In the morning." I release my arm from his grip and head back to my room. I can tell that he is storming behind me. Great. I'm already hated by one of my tributes and I haven't talked to him for more than a sentence. I really am amazing at this mentoring business.

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I sleepily gaze at the steamy cup of hot chocolate before me. The sun still has yet to rise, and I don't even expect them to be here anytime soon. I woke up early, unable to sleep. Drenched in a cold sweat I made my way to the dinning cart were an Avox prepared my breakfast. After thirty minutes I still have yet to touch it. Maybe I could let my eyes drip close for just a second…

"Wake up!" The cruel voice shattered me from my sleep. I find myself surrounded by Korren and Nocturne. Nocturne looks tired, and Korren looks angry. I look towards the window; it is still dark outside. "Seriously, you think that you would care, but no. You just fall asleep and forget where you are. You going to do the same things during the Games?" A myriad of equally rude comments rush through my head, but I have no time to shout any of them.

Nocturne lifts her hand to his shoulder, as if to calm him down. Korrenknocks it off. I swallow. "What? You think that everyone will try to help us? No. The others are bound to be giving the advice to help no one. Show no sympathy. Once a chance is presented to kill us, it will be used. We need advice. And unfortunately, you're the one who has to give it to us. These aren't your Games. We have entered a whole new battlefield, and you're just using us as guinea pigs." With that he storms off, and it is all I can do to follow with my eyes. I knew he was right.

Nocturne sits down and starts to rub her temples. "Don't mind him. He can be a real pain in the ass." I look towards her, the girl who seemed to do no wrong. The girl whose sister asked me to take care of.

"Don't you think I'm doing a terrible job? Don't you think that you will lose your Games because of me? Don't you hate me for that?" I'm tracing the rim of the cup while I say this.

"Glynn, you're younger than us. It's hard to do what you do how it is. I don't want to make your life miserable. Yeah, we probably will lose the Game. I can't hate you for something that I have no control over." There is pain and aging in her voice, and I know that she is telling the truth.

"Korren does though." I say, sorrow in my voice.

"Like I said, Korren is an ass." I let my mouth twitch into a smile when she says that. I think I know who I'm going to focus on bringing home.

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Opening Ceremonies: fail. Fortinbras disappoints once again. He went with an organic tree look. Training scores, Nocturne managed a seven, and Korren managed a six. Fair enough, but still not enough to get you Sponsors. For the interviews, all I can say is that they weren't terrible. Mags outshinedeveryone; reviving my fear that my tributes won't make it home. The only advice I could give was try to get supplies at the Cornucopia, than run for it. I'll try to help the best I can.

The Games begin in two hours; I don't have to leavefor the dock just yet. I give my room a final goodbye, and walk to the roof. Along the way, I'm intercepted by Mayle. "Glynn! Great news, someone wants to sponsor Korren! You just need to sign this to seal the deal." I smile. I asked Mayleto talk to people about Sponsors. She succeeded. I took a pin and signed the slip. The name on the top read Talon Raven. Spooky name, but I give it no other thought.

And up I go to the Hovercraft. The ride isn't that long, and when I exit, I'm greeted by the Gamemakers. They take me down to the dock. The dock is what we Victors call the spot that we watch the Games from. I probably will be making this trip quite often. The door is opened, and I have to hide my surprise.

The dock is huge. It has a private section for each district, arranged in a semicircle. There are six on each side of a larger section. Each cubical had a door that needed a key to access. The largest one was were the Gamemakers controlled the Games. The room not occupied by the cubicles was made into a lobby, with a lot of chairs.

I see that the other ten Victors are here. Sitting in the chairs; some are drinking. Others are just laughing and talking. Once I enter, everything falls silent between them. I feel the ten pairs of eyes staring at me, making me very uncomfortable. Silianais the first to speak. "Well I guess I will be the one to give her a tour." I smile lightly, and she walks to the Gamemaker that led me in. "Can I have 9's key?" She asks.

The key is handed over, and she motions for me to follow her. I do so as quickly as I can. She walks up to the cubical marked District Nine, and unlocks the door. I follow her inside the room. I struggle to keep shock from entering my face. There are two cots, one on each side wall. For sleeping. The wall in front of me is filled with monitors and all sorts of buttons. The monitors show pictures of the arena. It is a field of wheat.

There are two chairs in front. I swallow, unsure if I will be able to master this. Siliana walks up to the control panel. "Ok, this is the joystick. With it you can zoom your camera in and out, and you can also move into different parts of the arena. This is the slot where you can put gifts given by sponsors. Um, that's really all you need to know. For now." I look at all the complex buttons. Would she really tell me everything I need to know? Then again, why wouldn't she?

She leaves the room to return to the other Victors, but I stay where I am. I don't want to go back out there. I need to prepare myself for the inevitable. I close my eyes and try to think of all the things that I can do to keep my tributes alive. It's scary how short the list is.

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The gong rings and they run in. I watch with weary eyes what unfolds. Nocturne grabs a pack and runs into the field of wheat. My mouth almost turns to a smile when I see her run into the field, then I focus my attention on the other. Korren runs forward more, into the bloody battle at the peak of the Cornucopia. I watch as he dodges one death blow. Just to fall into the path of another.

I would like to say that I felt a pang of sorrow as he died, but that would be a lie. I felt relief. One less to look after. I watch as he falls at the fate of Mags' grapple. Mags didn't lie. She knew how to use weapons. One dead. I let out a breath.

At least now I only had one tribute to worry about; but what would Korren's family think of my failure? Probably won't be too happy. They can't blame me for anything though, but that didn't mean that they wouldn't hate me. I swallow. This was too much for me to handle. I close my eyes and wish for it all to go away.

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"Come on, Nocturne. Come on! You need to wake up!" Maybe I've gone insane, talking to myself, or maybe this happens to everyone. I watch in horror as the fire spreading across the field reaches closer to where Nocturne lies. She still isn't awake. There isn't anything I can do. "Please, please, Nocturne. Wake up. For your sister. Please." I'm almost to tears now because I know that there is nothing that I can do. No Sponsors to put in money to help me get an object to wake her.

The fire is almost upon her now; even if she wakes there is no chance for her to outrun it. I can't take it. I walk out of my cubical and into the lobby area – the den as the others call it – and sink into one of the chairs. There are still monitors out here, but they are smaller, and not as in your face. I look up to see Siliana looking at me.

"You know, it's hard at first." I look at her confused for a second, but then I understand what she is saying. "Watching them die, the children that lives were entrusted to you. No one here has ever kept a successful Victor. Lucky Primaries."

"Primaries?"

"Those who are first to win in their district." She explains simply. I nod and look to the screen. The fire is upon her, and she is just waking up.

"Why are you still here, Siliana?" I ask, "Both of your tributes died." I watch carefully as she looks to the ground, as if an explanation will present itself.

"My friends are here. And they still need help. Here it isn't divided by Districts. We look after one another. We only have one common enemy." I nod.

Nocturne is on her feet coughing, well gagging really, on the smoke. This continues for a few minutes until she collapses on the ground. The canon fires. I look to Siliana, who is looking at me, her face trying to offer some comfort. "I should probably go now." I say; my voice soft.

She sighs in acceptance. "We would really wish for you to stay. But we understand. The first is always the hardest to deal with." I look at her with a grimace. "See you next year."

"See you next year. It has been a pleasure to make you're acquaintance." I say.

"The pleasure was mine." I hear these words, and I can't help but smile. I then turn around to leave. To go back to the safety of my District. Maybe not safety, but security.

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Ok, I wasn't able to update because I added this chapter. I was like 'Humm, this is missing something.' So I wrote this :D. So now there are three chapters left. Yeah, I joined crew, and I have a lot of homework and tests to study for, so I might not be able to update until next weekend. Haha, but I got a hundred on my math test. :D I hope you enjoyed reading! Isn't Nocturne Leigh the coolest name ever? Hehe, I wish it was mine. Don't forget to review! Well, you don't have to, but it's really nice if you do:D I still want to be Katniss! That would be so cool! Yup.


	23. Chapter 22: District 13

Disclaimer: I don't own the Hunger Games. Nobody but Susanne Collins does.

Hiya! Two chapters after this. Yay! I think I'm going to finish posting the story today.

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The twenty-third Hunger Games just ended. The arena was a plateau. There were some very bloody falls during the night. But twenty-three games have passed since the start. Only one more game until the Quell. I already knew that that was going to end disastrous.

It was hard at mentoring first; Nocturne and Korren were just the first of a very long line. I had to advise people that were older then myself, which was frustrating. We haven't had another Victor since I had won. No one blamed me though. I didn't haveany control over it, and they knew that I tried to keep them alive.

The others just were better. The twelfth Hunger Games victory had belonged to Mags, no surprise there. She became one of my friends when I was forced to go to the Capitol each year to supervise new tributes. At least she wasn't as bad as some of the other Career Victors. Victors didn't hate each other; they just had different views. The most disagreeable views came from the Careers.

Quill and I are still friends. Quill is married to Innova. Figures. Innova hated me at first; she blamed me for the death of her sister. Over time she seemed to lighten up in my presence, but she struggles to do so. I try not to care, Quill loves her and I don't want to hurt him. I haven't married anyone and don't intend to. My father is still in the same home as me, he has seemed to be preoccupied lately, as if he was figuring out something that was impossible. I continue to get my pictures signed by the Victors as they pass by my home on their Victory Tours. I'm positive that the place isn't bugged. Yet.

I looked around my room. It was painted black, with silver stars all over, just like the night. On the walls were the pictures of all the Victors, in order by the year of their victory. I walked to my window, and brushed aside my black, silk curtain. The sky was clear, and the stars and moon were shining. I tried not to think back to the two children that just died. One didn't even make it past the first hour. The other didn't make it past the first week.

It was hard. You keep a hope that maybe one will come back. But that is just it. Only one can come back. I've tried not to choose favorites. After the first week if they had both lived, I would choose which to support. I'm not sure if it is good or bad, but that was a rare decision I had to make. I usually had one that would get a big head during the Cornucopia, like Korren.

I close my eyes, in attempt to make my memories slow down, and let out a breath. I drew my fingers though my thick, elbow length hair. I collect it with my hands and pull it into a ponytail.

I almost jump as I hear a soft knock on the door. Who would bother me this late? It can only be one person. "Come in." I call, my voice sounding tiered, and much older than it should have been.

My aging father walks through the door. He is in surprisingly good health for fifty-seven. His hair is all grayed, but he could be in a lot worse shape. He has a backpack slung over his shoulder, and is carrying a suitcase. I look at him with a raised eyebrow. "I'm leaving." Is all he says.

Panic fills me. I walk forward a little, then stop. He was thinking of something impossible. "Where to? I mean, where are you going to go, somewhere else in the district? And why? Did I do something wrong? What is in the bag?" Questions rushed though my head, like salmon through water, not pausing in between for answers. New ones came before the old ones had even left.

"You did nothing wrong, Glynn. You are doing everything perfectly. I'm leaving for a different reason. To prove something before I die. I'm going to a different district entirely. Food is in the bag. So is water, and clothes. I need it for my journey." I was confused, then again, who wouldn't?

"What district? And how do you propose to do that?" District travel wasn't allowed, accept on official business. Says the one and only all-important Mayle herself.

"District 13." He didn't answer how, but that didn't matter. The only question he did answer was one that brought up more questions. That didn't help; I was even more confused now. I was also starting to believe that my father was crazy.

"What? It was destroyed. By nuclear weapons. Like, BOOM! everyone-is-dead-or-dying-of-radiation nuclear weapons. Even if you get there, you will be killed by the toxic air." I wondered how I would talk sense into my father. I also wonder what gave him such an outlandish idea.

"I know it was destroyed. But I think it is rebuilding. And who made the nukes? District 13. They also have supplies to survive if something went wrong. I'll go there, and see what they are doing. See if I can assist. It might be the best place to reform the rebellion." I look at my dad mournfully. I couldn't change his mind. I wanted to go with him, make sure that harm didn't come. To take him back once he realized he was wrong.

"I would go with you, but…" I think to the Games. What would happen if I left? Would they get a new mentor, someone who didn't care, someone like Tybalt? I touch the mockingjayclip that was still in my hair. I hadn't taken it out, along with the butterfly, since my Games. They had almost become my lifeline. Memories that I couldn't live without.

"I know you can't go. You can't leave District 9 yet. Maybe sometime in the future, but for now you must stay and help those who need you. If there is ever a time to leave, you will figure it out." I didn't want my father to leave. He was the only family I had left. I didn't want to lose anyone else. I have had enough of that.

"How will I know if you are all right? How will I know if you made it to District 13?" I ask, panic growing ever more rapidly in my voice.

"I'll send something. Something that only you will know, and only you can figure out. I would never leave you unless it was absolutely necessary." This was absolutely necessary? Just for some random hope that there is something there? Maybe I'm being selfish, but this wasn't fair to me.

I try to make one more attempt to give him a reason to stay. "What if people ask me where you have gone to?"

"Tell no one. Not even Quill. Tell them I died of old age or something. No one can know that I am still alive, and looking for the Rebellion. No one can be allowed to know that District 13 lives. You are pretty good at being sad and moping around." I let out a weak laugh. "You can say you buried me in private. You didn't want others sympathy. Sounds like you, right?"

"How do you even know a Rebellion might be reforming in District 13?" As long as I was going along with his plan, I might as well find out what gave him the idea. Stall until I find reason for him to stay.

"That was where the base was at first, when the first rebellion was forming. It was the farthest district from the Capitol, so we decided to set up a base there way back when." Makes sense. Wait, what does he mean by we?

"What do you mean 'we'?" I say in a suspicious tone, my eyes squinting by habit.

"'We' as in the leaders of the rebellion. There was one in each district. My father was the one for 9. He was tortured then murdered for treason. Much like my brother. I would have taken my father's place had we not lost shortly after. So I just stayed hidden. It's time that I help to complete what we started. The Rebellion will never die. Not until its job is complete." Ok, you learn something new every day. Today I learned that my grandfather was a military leader during the Rebellion. That wasn't surprising at all. I also learn that my father is on the edge of being considered crazy.

"Why didn't you tell me?" My father looks at me like I'm a total and complete idiot. He looks at me like I looked at Tannor. "Oh, yeah, sorry. That really isn't the type of thing that you brag around to everyone. Don't worry. I won't tell anyone. I'm not twelve anymore."

"I know. Sorry. It's just that time seems to move so fast. It is hard to swallow the changes that have happened over the years." My father looks down sorrowful. Regret that he hadn't been able to make my life better.

"Why now? You could have gone back anytime. But why now?" Over the years, I have noticed something. I have an amazing talent at staling.

"The clips. There was a mockingjayin the corner of the screen when they showed the remains of the Town Hall of 13. If it lived, I'm sure that other creatures lived to. It is safe to go back now. And your clip. The one given to you by Tybalt. That is what gave me the idea to look at the tape. And I couldn't bring myself to leave you. But you are capable of taking care of yourself now." I took a deep breath. I couldn't argue with that logic.

"Ok. You can go. Even though I don't think you need my permission. I suppose it might just be me accepting that you're going to leave. I don't know how you are going to get there, but I figure that you have everything planned out. Don't forget to find a way to let me know that you have made it safely." My father smiled and hugged me.

"Thank you. I won't forget. I love you, Glynn." A tear fell from my eye. My father remained the master of showing little emotion. Little changes when so much does.

"I love you too, Dad." I release him from my embrace. "You have enough food?" He nods. "Good luck. I hope you find what you are looking for. If anyone can, it will be you."

"I will. It has been a pleasure knowing you. Keep up being perfect. Goodbye." With that he left. Unlike my mother and brother, I knew that I would never see him again. A sob choked me. As much as I wanted to, I couldn't say goodbye as well.

---------

The warm air in the brisk morning reminded me of the day that I was chosen for the Hunger Games. Except that the streets were flooded with people. I kept my head low, and gave a weary smile of acknowledge meant when people said hello. They didn't seem to think anything was wrong. Out of the corner of my eye I see a couple walking hand in hand towards me. Please, please don't notice me. Unfortunately, luck still isn't on my side.

"Glynn!" The taller of the two calls out. I slow to a stop. Quill and Innova walk to where I am standing. Joy spread onto their faces. I look, keeping my sad face. Quill seems to take no notice. "Glynn, Glynn, guess what." I look into the distance, towards the forest covered mountains. The sky was pink with sunrise, dancing of the trees, making them look like shadows.

"You learned how to climb a tree without looking like an idiot?" I ask without emotion, expecting a false anger reaction from Quill.

He and Innova laughed, and I looked at them puzzled. Quill's hand fell to Innova's stomach. No. No this can't be happening. "I'm pregnant." Chanted Innova in a joyful voice. Unaware of the danger that her child will be in. Innova leaned up and kissed Quill.

I try my best to shift my features away from terror, and back into sorrow. Innova withdrew from Quill, and they both starred at me, smiles etched on their faces. Quill's was the first to fade. "Glynn, what's wrong?" His voice was worry, and his question filled with concern.

"M-my dad. He slipped. Last night. Getting into the tub. He hit his head…and…and…" I broke into tears, and put my hands over my eyes. Quill and Innova moved over to me, embracing me in a hug, trying to comfort me. It was hard not to burst up laughing, one for the situation, and two for the fact that they were actually buying this. Then I remember the child. "I-I better go."

"Do you want us to hold a memorial?" Quill asked.

I shook my head. "I did it in private this morning. Before the sun rose. I didn't want sympathy." I say in the most pitiful voice I can find. Quill nods, grabs Innova's hand, and walks ever so slowly away. I bite my upper lip and walk away in the other direction.

---------

Three months havepassed. I told everyone that my dad had died by slipping in the bathroom as he got out of the tub, and hitting his head on the floor. Same story as I gave Quill and Innova. My father would probably have scorned me for making his death so embarrassing. I figured I might as well have some fun creating his death scenario. No one questioned it, or thought it the least bit suspicious. They understood what I was talking about when I said that I didn't want any sympathy.

I haven't heard from my father yet. I was starting to worry that he didn't make it. That he didn't find it. That there wasn't any District 13. Everything there was dead and he would be part of that mass. I kept looking for a sign though. Analyzing everything that happened. But everything that happened was ordinary, and could easily be explained. At points I wanted to, but I never did give up. I kept waiting.

On the night of the autumn equinox, I walked to the window. I did this every night, but something felt different. Looking through a window didn't feel like enough. I opened the window, was greeted by a gentle breeze, and stepped out onto the balcony. I walked the one yard length to the railing.

The atmosphere was cool and crisp, signaling that it would soon be cold enough to snow. I took a deep breath of the air, letting its refreshing sensation run its way down my throat and into my lungs. I heard a flap of wings and turned to my right, and quickly turned to investigate.

On the railing perched a bird. Not any bird, but a mockingjay. They can repeat the melodies of even the most complex songs. It opened its beak and began to sing. I looked at it confused. I wonder who had sung to it? Then I started to pay attention to the notes. I recognized them. I was shocked. Was this some sort of cruel prank? But only four people had ever known what that melody belonged to. Me, my mother, my father and Hayven.

The bird was singing Hayven's lullaby. The one that he used to sing to calm me down. The song that he created, and shared only to my family. But… Hayven was dead. Only one person could have sung it to the bird, my father. Did Father use the lullaby in his last moments of life, to tell me he too was going to die? Then I remember the significance of the mockingjay.

It was a stab in the back to Capitol; they thought that their mutts, the Jabberjays, would die off in the wild when they abandoned them. Only they mated with female mockingbirds. It created a whole new species of animals. Something the Capitol had no control over. Just like the Rebellion.

I decided to go with the more pleasant idea. My dad was alive. And this was the signal that he said he would send. That also meant that District 13 was very much alive. It also meant that the Rebellion had a chance to reform, and that it was something the Capitol had no control over. Yeah, I like the pleasant idea better. Let's stick with that.

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Want to know the other I'm going to try to finish updating today? I saved this chapter over the next chapter. So I had to rewrite the other one. I got really mad, and I don't want that to happen again, so I just want this off my back. Don't get me wrong; I love writing this, it just makes me sad when I save over a whole chapter. Anyhow, I hope you enjoyed reading! I personally thought that this wasn't one of my best chapters, but I needed to add it. Review! I still want to be Katniss! I will try to post the next two chapters today! Stay tuned!


	24. Chapter 23: Haymitch

Disclaimer: If I didn't own the Hunger Games at the beginning of the story, I doubt that I would own it now. Just saying.

So close...

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We have now had two Victors besides myself. A girl, who was sixteen years old, won about seven years ago, and last year a boy, seventeen years old. I'm still the youngest victor. Well, when you take in consideration how old I was when I won. I'm almost fifty now. Quill and I are still friends, though we seem to have grown apart throughout the years.

His son was born shortly after the twenty-fifth Hunger Games; the boy's name is Cedar. He lived through the Reaping without being picked. I held my breath each year, just like I did with Quill. Cedar is twenty-five now. There is a new president also. President Snow. He seems even more snakelike and evil then President Heat, who died shortly after the twenty-forth Hunger Games.

Things have changed. We have a new escort, Bellina. She is annoying, but I figure that all of the escorts are. Fortinbras is still the stylist unfortunately. His fashion sense hasn't really improved in the past years. He now has assistants though. They decided that the stylist needed help in making the tributes beautiful.

Some of the other older tributes have died, but Siliana and Mags are still alive. Even some younger than me couldn't take the pressure and resorted to most unsavory methods. I haven't heard from my father sense he sent the mockingjay.

The second Quarter Quell ended a few months ago. So far, they are exactly what my uncle said them to be. The first we had to choose who we wanted to be entered. That was not pretty. Many distraught parents. Many fights, many grudges made that hold until this day. They chose one strong one; and one weak one. That way the strong one had a way to make it back. I felt sorry for the girl. They chose her because they knew she would lose. She was born paralyzed from the waist down.

The second there was twice the entries. I had to see twice the tributes die under my hand. It seemed to me that the arena that they put them in was punishment enough, but no. Poison was a factor that knocked off most of my tributes, and most of the others as well.

Today the victor of the second Quarter Quell, Haymitch, his name is, is coming to District 9. I left my door unlocked. Maybe he will just walk in. The house still isn't bugged, and the meetings between Victors are still private. I look at the wall of Victors I have in my room. Each I have gotten signed. Another is about to be added to my collection.

I hear the door creak open. It can only be one person. I walk out of my bedroom, and to the stairs. On the first floor I have a cabinet with pictures from the Games that aren't signed. I see the boy standing there, looking at the picture of Glitch. My mouth tilts to a smile as some of my happiest memories are revived.

The boy is fairly tall, with brown hair. He is fairly muscular, but not some total beast, like Tannor or Ethan. He won by outsmarting the others though. I slowly creep down the stairs, careful not to make a sound. I come up right behind the boy. I only reach up to his shoulder, but I manage to whisper up into his ear, "What cha' looking at?"

The boy jumped and looked at me standing there for a minute. Then turned angry. "Don't you know not to sneak up on people?" He said in an arrogant tone. He had used this as his interviewing angle. I always hated that angle…

I waved him off. "It is certainly all right to do so in your own home. And cut it with the arrogance. You're not on camera, and you definitely didn't fool me with that imprudent act. Ever heard of respecting your elders?" He looked at me with suspicion.

"Ok. So what do you want?" he says. Rude much. I glare at him for a moment, but then calm myself down. I open a drawer and grab a picture of him sitting by the edge of the force field. I choose that picture because I liked the rebellious act. I had been looking to see if anyone would try to cheat the games. He was the first to do something major on the scale of defiance.

"Sign. Write a comment about the Capitol. Don't worry, they won't see it. District 12 seems to have a rebellious streak going on. Siliana won the first Games, you know. She refused to be picked off of the stage. She just sat there for three days, until she collapsed of fatigue and they hauled her off." I remember Siliana's Game. She was still one of my friends. She didn't make it a habit to hang out with me, but she did so on occasions. She was getting old now. Then again, I can say the same for myself.

The boy signs, and writes a very insulting comment about the Capitol. Even though this kid seems to act like he owns the world, you have to respect his courage. Or would it be stupidity? My story about his Mentor didn't seem to affect him. Must have already heard it, even though the Capitol tries to make sure those sort of things don't keep circling around. "So, you are the youngest person to win the Hunger Games?" he picks up a picture of Glitch and me sitting in a tree.

I figure that this question will lead up to another. Or maybe he is pathetically trying to create a conversation. "Yeah. Sorry, but your district didn't make it past the first hour that year. I had friends to help me with my Victory. That's the only reason I won." I look down remorsefully. That seemed to spark an interest in him.

"They helped you win? I don't think I've heard the stories of the 11th Games." he looked as if he couldn't believe it. I wouldn't blame him. On the television, they would show recapping of the Games. The 11th was never one on there. Then again, District 12 doesn't get electricity that much from what I hear. And people don't really help anyone but themselves in the Games now. Most wouldn't believe what happened during my Games, except those who saw it.

"Yeah. They did things like fixing an infected arm, keeping me from falling, etcetera. The last two were me and the boy from my district. He committed suicide to make sure that I got home safely. I had to apologize to his family." He glances at me with a look of pity. But he seems to quickly recover.

"Speaking of things long in the past, did they happen to mention what the Quarter Quells were when they invented the Games?" Um…things long in the past? That wasn't insulting at all. I suppose this was the question that he was trying to lead up to though, since it really wasn't related to what I was talking about.

"No. They were secret. Not available to the public." He looks down; disappointment spread on his face. I could tell he was probably asking all the Victors that question. "But I know what they are." He leaned forward, as if to get more information. I think I'm going to see how long it takes for him to realize that he is going to need to ask politely for the information. It was fun to play games with people and mess with their heads. Wow…I haven't really noticed how immature I am until this point.

"I don't really care how you got the information," Well isn't that kind of you to say, but shouldn't you learn about the past in order to understand the future? "But, can I ask what the future Quells are going to be? Please?" Now that I knew. The letter was still clear in my mind, while other events were hazy. I wasn't so sure I should share my information; it wasn't exactly the most pleasant things you have ever heard. I decide against my better judgment.

"'The Third Quarter Quell: To remind the Districts that the Rebellion chose to put their children at risk, this Game will consist of children from the ages of six to twelve. Each will have their names entered once.'" It wasn't pleasant. But neither were most of them. It was basically simulating a first reaping for all.

He looked at me wide-eyed in terror and disgust. "They really aren't going to make such young children fight. They can't do that. Can they?" He shakes his head in disbelief. "Six?" He repeats, as if I had lied to him about the age. I almost wish that I had.

"They can do whatever they want, at least until someone has the guts to overthrow them. I had a feeling you might try and do something, but you didn't. I've been watching the Games long before you were born, and know that not many ever defy as you did. Oh well, just hope you don't live for the Fourth Quarter Quell. That is an unsavory one." 101, it was my lifelong goal to die before I reach that age. I shouldn't worry; I probably would achieve that objective.

He looked at me for further information. Once again, he realized he was going to have to probe for answers. "What is the Quell theme of that one?" I roll my eyes. What is wrong with society today? They are getting more and more rude. Oh well, no use in asking him to say please.

"'The Fourth Quarter Quell: To remind the Districts that even their strongest can't defeat the Capitol, the Victor's will compete once again. Their names will be selected, and one female and one male victor from each District will compete.' Or something along those lines." They put that one later, so that each district would have a chance to pull together enough Victors. At the rate we were going, it seemed that they would.

He stares at me as if I'm crazy now. "How can you talk so regularly about this? Don't you notice that they are destroying things?" His tone hurts. He must have believed my point of the Capitol being able to do whatever they want. He just can't seem to accept it.

I shrug. "Of course I do. You forget, I'm old. I've had about fifty years for that reality to soak in. You get used to the fact after a while. At least I have the sense to keep sane and have not become a drug-addict or alcoholic. I've seen some of the Victors resort to that, and they don't even know as much as I do." He shakes his head in doubt. He walks over to a wooden perch that was carved for me by Rush. The mockingjay was still there. They lived surprisingly long for birds.

"Your bird, it's a mockingjay, right?" He looks to me for answers. I nod. "It's old. I think. The feathers are grayed. How old is it?" I count back the years in my head real fast before answering.

"About twenty-seven years old. Give or take a lot of years." The boy doesn't laugh at the last part I said, he seems to be pondering on the first part.

"How does it live so long?" It took a while for me myself to answer that question. But I finally found a reasonable explanation about ten years ago.

"Why do humans live so long? We have weapons and technology superior than other species. We can kill easier, therefore defending ourselves easier, in return living longer. The mockingjay is the same way. It has superior adaptations to other species. It can defend itself, it can heal itself, and it doesn't get injured as easily in the first place." Haymitch nodded slowly, as if processing all that I just said.

"Does it bite?" I can't help but grin at the childish question. I shake my head no.

He held out his fingers, and when he discovered that I told the truth and the bird didn't bite, he started to stroke it. It started to sing Hayven's lullaby in return. My mouth twitched, as if uncertain whether to become a smile or a frown.

"Why do you have a mockingjay?" The question was asked innocently enough. I could probably make up some lie to satisfy his curiosity. I hesitate, then again, the place isn't bugged, and the boy hates the Capitol. So what the heck?

"It was a signal, from my father. To tell me he was safe." Such a short explanation for such a complex event. But, it was bond to lead to more questions.

"Safe from what? Where could he even go so he couldn't tell you in person?" Do the questions never end? Seriously, can't the kid try to work things out for himself?

"Safe from the Capitol. He went to District 13. To aid any hope of a Rebellion. It lives, or at least is trying to. I would have gone with him, but I had to continue to mentor the others." A flash of memories come back to me. Memories that I want to push away, but after a while I have learned that there is no use in trying.

He starred in shock. I was starting to wonder if that was the only ways he could react to what I was saying. "District 13? Rebellion?" Why does he keep questioning everything I say? It really isn't that unbelievable.

"Yeah. I'm not crazy. It is true. Don't go around telling anybody. And don't try to run away and go there. My dad told me there would be a time, I just had to recognize when that time was. And that time has yet to come." I hope that was true. I had been waiting, but nothing happened out of the ordinary yet.

I think back to my Victory Tour. Before Haymitch could say any more, I said "One more thing, get out of my house." Back during my Victory Tour, Rush had first said that. All the others that were Victors after the Third Hunger Games had done the same thing. I was finally let in on what the big deal was in District 1, where I was told that Rush, the anti-social freak, much like myself, had pushed out all the Victors that came to his home.

He looked at me like I was crazy. "Why does everyone say that?"

I grinned. "Thank Rush. He started the tradition. And you better follow it." He shrugged his shoulders in agreement, and left. He didn't say goodbye. But why bother? I would get to see him next Games.

I wasn't surprised when the Peacekeepers came to my house and installed the bugs. They did so a few months after my visit with Haymitch. When I asked them about the meetings with the Victors, and questioned that wasn't it supposed to be private, they said that they had decided to stop that. There were starting to become more and more Victors, the trips would become too time-consuming. Yeah, because everyone is going to believe that.

Haymitch was the last that I got to sign my pictures. He was the last person that I knew for certain that I could trust. I knew that the other pictures were no longer safe. I went to my room and removed them all from the walls. The next two days I spent carefully taking them out of there frames. I laid them one on top of the other, with a thin sheet of tissue paper between each. I crawled under my bed and brought out a box. I placed the pictures in, locked the box, and shoved it back under my bed. I buried the key. While I couldn't let the Capitol find out, I also couldn't forget.

* * *

Haha, sorry if I messed up Haymitch's personality, but I try. Sort of. Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Only one left! Yay! Review, please! I still want to play Katniss! Or Foxface, but I look nothing like her. Hehe. Ok... um... yeah.


	25. Chapter 24: The 74th Hunger Games

Disclaimer: I do not and probably never will own the Hunger Games

So close to the end...

* * *

I'm seventy-five years old now. My skin is wrinkled and my hair is grey. Surprisingly, I'm okay with those facts. My mind still seems to work as fast as it did sixty-four years ago, and my health is well. I'm the oldest tribute alive. Well, Mags is alive as well, but I won the Games before her, so they just refer to me as the oldest tribute. I'm the last Primary left; the one from eight died of an over dose.

Mags suffered a stroke a few years back, so her speech is a mixed babble, but knowing her for so long I still understood her perfectly. Well, I could make out her words, just not there meanings. She learned a while back that I couldn't interpret her ramble, and made a joke of it. She sometimes insulted me while I just nodded in false understanding.

Quill, his wife, and his son and his son's wife, are dead. They died of a plague of pneumonia that came through one winter. As me and Quill had moved apart, it seemed not to take so much of a blow on me.

Cedar had a sixteen-year-old daughter that lives with me. Her name is Mahogany. She hasn't been selected as a tribute. But just in case, she has been training, like the Careers, but she doesn't intend on joining them. She practices with knives in the back yard. She isn't insane as Allia was, but she is just as good with knives.

It's the seventy-forth Hunger Games. The tributes of nine didn't make it past the first hour. I could have gone home once they died. Taser, the male Victor of nine from twenty-five years ago, and also my partner in mentoring, has gone back to the district. I decided to stay in the dock and see the rest play out. I've been in the Twelve booth since the second day.

I had a feeling that something different would happen. Something that would change everything. Maybe something that would tell me what time I should go to District 13.

Only six tributes remain. Clove and Cato, Careers from two. Cato reminds me of Ethan, except for the fact that he hasn't been killed by snakes. Clove reminds me of Allia, she has knives, but isn't nearly as skilled with them as Allia was. Most think that they will be the Victors. I don't. Strength is often as much of a weakness as an advantage.

There is also Adria, the girl tribute from 5. I would put my money on her if I gambled, and if I wasn't by Haymitch the whole time. She is clever, but cleverness tends to get people killed. I think back to Mason. I shudder at the memory.

Then there is Thresh. The boy tribute from 11. He reminds me of Blake. He is strong, and he cared for the girl, Rue. She was my favorite; I wanted her to win at the beginning of the Games. Rue was able to jump through the forest like Glitch. She was killed by a spear through her. She wouldn't have been killed if she didn't team up. Katniss, a girl she paired with, covered her in flowers. It reminded me of when I was nine, when I was beaten by the Peacekeeper and the flowers were placed on me as I passed.

That brings me to the final tributes left. Katniss and Peeta. They are from 12. Haymitch, for one of the first times in years has managed to get his tributes past the first hour. They remind me of no one I have ever met. That is an accomplishment. I look over to Haymitch. He is watching at the screens with a look of urgency, one that I haven't seen on his face in years. He was drunk, as I often found he was, but not as much as normal.

I stand up from my seat in the corner and walk up to him. He regards me sitting down in the chair next to him, the flashing buttons in front of me. "Why are you even still here, Glynn?"

I stare at the screen while I answer. "I feel as if I'm still needed. And my friends are here." I remember to what Siliana had told me. "Looks like you finally have a reason to stay here past the first hour." Haymitch let out an exaggerated laugh. "You also have a chance to make history."

Haymitch grins, but it soon fades. He knows I'm talking of how they said two tributes of the same district could be both be victors if they are the last left. "They aren't being kind. They are trying to create entertainment, and this is as good as it gets. If only they would have done the same thing during your Games."

I shook my head. "In my Games the entertainment was in seeing which would triumph. The eighteen-year-old or the twelve-year-old. Because that is such an interesting battle." I looked as the screen was focused on the inside of the cave. The boy appeared even worse than before. The girl was telling him a story of how she got money for a goat. Wow, she was a terrible liar. "How do you think she really got the money?" I ask Haymitch.

"She sucks at lying, but she is pretty good at archery." I figure that she obtained the money by illegal purposes, hunting maybe. The head Gamemaker, Seneca Crane, walked into the room tentatively. I dislike Seneca. He has been in charge of the Games for the last forty years. He annoys me because he is a push over. Which is pretty sad considering that he organizes the murder of twenty-three children each year.

"We are going to call a feast." I look at him puzzled. Half of the tributes didn't even need food, and why was he even telling us?

"It is going to be different than a normal feast. We are going to fill backpacks with supplies that each need. For your tributes, we are going to put medicine for the boy. I need to ask if that is what you think would work." Seneca wasn't good with words. He always hesitated, and was looking around him, as if someone were trying to kill him.

"Yeah. Sure." Says Haymitch.

"The feast needed a twist. The others will have food or blankets. All your tributes will have is the medicine." Seneca said, as if he wanted Haymitch to vouch for more supplies added. He didn't.

Instead Haymitch nods in understanding. Seneca then leaves us, walking away with a disappointed look of defeat, silently closing the door behind him. A few minutes later we see the feast called on the screen. Clove and Cato, who had been fighting about what to do about food and shelter, stop instantly. Adria stops pacing outside her cave and looks to the sky, a grin etched on her emaciated face. Thresh simply grunts in acknowledgement.

The boy says the girl can't go. That he would follow her and scream at the top of his lungs or something. The girl looks annoyed and makes a proposition that the boy agrees to. It involves not going to the feast. The girl knows that the backpack will hold the medicine. What a dramatic production the Games have become.

"That idiot!" Yells Haymitch in a really ticked off tone. I wasn't sure if he was talking to the girl for saying she wasn't going, or the boy for telling her not to go. Maybe that comment was meant for both. He gets up from his chair and starts to pace in front of me. Looking back and forth, from the screen to the floor.

I hold my hand up to my hair and feel the mockingjay clip that still holds my thinning hair. The girl has a token much like it. A golden mocking jay on a pin. They started letting tributes carry tokens into the arena around the thirty-seventh Games. I rather liked hers.

I watch Haymitch pace and get an idea. I call over an Avox. A red-headed girl comes over to my attendance. "Can you get me some sleep syrup? I'm awfully tired, but I am old and my bones hurt, keeping me up all night." I say in my most sickly, innocent, old-lady voice. The girl looks at me kind of funny, but nods and leaves to fulfill my orders. Poor girl, it makes me sad to see those so young without tongues.

The girl returns several minutes later, a small vile of sleep syrup on a silver platter. She gives it to me, and I place it in my lap. I look up to say thank you, and she raises an eyebrow, asking what I really want it for. She knows I don't want the syrup for myself. "Thank you. You'll see soon enough." She grins, nods, then leaves to stand back in attention in the den.

The girl is leaving the cave now to collect her poorly-made soup. Haymitch is still pacing. "Haymitch." He looks my way, his face mixed with annoyance. Not towards me, but to the Games. I hold up the valve, unsure if Haymitch would realize what I did. I didn't do it so much for the girl, but more for Haymitch. He had never had a victory, and it has taken a toll on him.

"What? What is that?" He looked confused. For a smart boy, he sure was being stupid. Probably all the alcohol in him; it's clouding up his brain. So sad to see my friends fall into such unsavory means of escaping memories of the Games.

"I had trouble getting to sleep last night, so I just asked for sleep syrup. Then I realized that it was last night that I couldn't sleep. My mind can't keep up with itself. So slow, it makes me depressed at points. So I don't need this. Do you need it? Maybe the girl needs the boy to sleep, so he feels none of his pain, and she can accomplish her tasks easier." I looked to Haymitch. He understood what I was trying to do.

"Yes. I do believe she might need this. Thank you to the courtesy of the Capitol for providing this gift." I grinned. The Capitol had provided a free gift; no one even had to pay for it. He dropped it through a slot, and minutes later, it appeared floating down to the girl in a silver parachute. She almost missed it floating by the side of her head.

She then grabbed for it. She opened it and a smile spread over her face as she realized what it was. Then the smile faded. My eyebrows scrunch together as I try to figure what she is doing. She starts to examine the contents. I realized she thought that the valve was the actual medicine to heal the boy's leg! She sniffed it, then stuck her finger in it and brought a little drop to her lips. Her face scrunched up in an almost comical manner. Anger seeped onto her face.

She looked like she was about to throw it into the river, when a look of realization came across her face. She moved to the bushes and started to add different things to taint the syrups distinct taste. Haymitch was grinning. He knew that the girl was finally up to speed.

"Haymitch." He looked at me, his drunken grin was present. "I think it is time to join my father. I think I'll ask Mahogany to follow as I do so." Haymitch's face became more serious. He nodded. To most, what I said was meaningless. Only Haymitch knew that I meant that I was going to go to District 13. He also knew that he did not have to find some mean of watching over Mahogany. I held Haymitch in a quick embrace, his alcoholic smell ever present, and headed for the door.

In the dock I saw Mags talking to what seemed to be herself. "Mags." I call, not so loud, but not unreasonably soft easily. She looks my way, but doesn't stand. I walk over to her.

Mags' tributes died within the first week, and she, like me, could have gone home them. But she didn't. She stayed for the same reasons that I did. She knew my stories. She looks up at me with her old eyes, asking me what I was doing without speaking a word. "I'm going to join my father." I say, six words explaining everything.

Mags gives me a toothless grin and asks where the tributes got the vile from. I return her grin. "Complete courtesy of the Capitol." Mags' grins widens, and I match it. Mags has been a loyal friend, at first, she seemed egocentric, but once I got to know her, she is the nicest person I know. I know that I'm not lying when I say, "Goodbye, Mags. I'll miss you."

"'ye Gwn. Mys oh do." I give one last smile, part for the babble, part for the fact she is my friend. Then I head for the door, sad to leave all of my friends, but grateful in a way.

As I left, I saw the Avox girl trying to suppress a grin. For a second I fear that they will blame her for my trick, but I find reason they wouldn't. I doubt she would be blamed for my trick to the Capitol.

---------

I stepped off the train and rushed to my home. Mahogany was there waiting. Her black hair was braided down her back, and her blue eyes were gazing into the distance, unaware of her surroundings, but ready to jump back into consciousness at any moment. Beside her were two suitcases and a box. One suitcase contained clothes, the other food. The box held my pictures, Mahogany had added the other pictures, of Hayven, Glitch, Mason, Tannor, Quill, my father and Blake. I buried the key, but Mahogany could pick a lock, where she learned that skill I would never know. I had called her and asked her to prepare them in advance.

District 9 was on the edge of Panem, well not the exact edge, but closer than One or Two. All we had to do was jump the fence, which was easy enough, and we could travel to 13, the only District we would absolutely have to pass is 12. Mahogany smiled when she saw me. I walked up to the porch and she hugged me. I picked up one of the bags, while she carried the box and the other bag. Once a safe distance from the house, Mahogany started to say what was on her mind. "Why are we leaving?"

She didn't need to ask where. She already knew all of the stories. "Because I finished all that I needed to accomplish. And there are three other Victors to train future tributes. And people think I'm about to die anyway. Things might change soon."

She nodded and took a deep breath. "What happens if we can't find them?"

I looked to the ground, then to the sky. "Then we will search. Don't worry, we will find them."

"And if we run out of food?"

"We are smart. We know plants. We have six months till winter, and I think that we will make it there in time." She nodded. She never doubted what I had to say. She was one of the many people that treated me with the upmost respect, the ones who regarded me as a hero.

We went into the forest that the wood was harvested from. When we came to the fence, Mahogany threw the bags and the box over the fence. She climbed over it easily, and started to look for a weak spot. Once she found one, she took out one of her knives, and cut a hole in it. She held it open as I climbed though. We then picked up the bags and continued to walk. We continued to walk to the mountains, to District 13, and to the future. We had no idea what was in store for us, but anything was better than that which we left.

* * *

THE END!!! Haha, finally get to say that. Sorry I didn't update on Sunday, but things happened. So tired... Anyway, I hope you enjoyed my story! I worked semi-sort-of-kind-of-hard on it! I hope the ending wasn't too terrible. Review and tell what you think! Thank you to all who have reviewed! Seriously, they make my day. Haha, still want to be Katniss. I need to think of another story...


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